In this paper we consider an interaction between the air core modes of hollow core waveguide microstructures and core cladding boundary walls in various shapes. The analysis is based on well established models such as the anti-resonant reflecting optical waveguide model and on the models proposed for the first time. In particular, we consider the dynamics of light localization in the polygonalcore cladding boundary wall as dependant on the type of its discrete rotational symmetry. Based on our findings we analyze the mechanisms of light localization in the core cladding boundary walls of negative curvature hollow core microstructured fibers.
In this paper we present a theoretical and numerical analysis of light localization in hollow core microstructured fibers (HCMFs) with a complicated shape of the core cladding boundary. The analysis is based on well established models (for example, the ARROW model) and also on the models proposed for the first time. In particular, we consider local and nonlocal mechanisms of light localization in the waveguide structures with a determined type of discrete rotational symmetry of the core cladding boundary. We interpret and analyze mechanisms of light localization in negative curvature hollow co…
We introduce a new simple design of hollow-core microstructured fiber targeted to guide mid-infrared light at a wavelength 2.94 $ μ$m. The fiber has a triangular-core supported via silica-glass webs enclosed by a large hollow capillary tube. The fiber specific dimensions are determined based on the guiding technique, which is based on the anti-resonant mechanism. For a triangular-core with side length $100$ $ μ$m, the fiber has a minimum transmission loss $0.08\pm0.005$ dB/m and dispersion 2.3 ps/km/nm at the operational wavelength 2.94 $ μ$m.
This paper discusses the basic concepts of phase dislocations and vortex formation in the electric fields of fundamental air core mode of hollow core waveguides with specific types of rotational symmetry of the core cladding boundary. Analysis of the behavior of the electric field phase in the transmission bands shows that the mechanism of light localization in the hollow core waveguides with discrete rotational symmetry of the core cladding boundary cannot be completely described by the ARROW model. For an accurate description of the phase behavior, it is necessary to account for phase jumps …
The optical properties of solid core microstructured optical fibers (SC MOFs) have been studied for a long time. The process of energy outflow of the core modes has always been associated with the process of constructive interference of the core modes fields under reflection from the photonic crystal cladding. In this paper, we want to offer a new look at the light localization in the core of SC MOFs related to the behavior of spin and orbital parts of the Poynting vector of these core modes and singularities arising in it.
Understanding the impact of the cladding tube structure on the overall guiding performance is crucial for designing single-mode, wide-band, and ultra low-loss nested hollow-core anti-resonant fiber (HC-ARF). Here we thoroughly investigate on how the propagation loss is affected by the nested elements when their geometry is realistic (i.e., non-ideal). Interestingly, it was found that the size rather than the shape of the nested elements, have a dominant role in the final loss performance of the HC-ARFs. We identify a unique 'V-shape' pattern for suppression of higher-order modes loss by optimi…
The advent of photonic bandgap (PBG) guiding hollow- core photonic crystal fiber (HC-PCF) sparked the hope of guiding light with attenuation below the fundamental silica Rayleigh scattering limit (SRSL) of conventional step-index fibers. Unfortunately, the combination of the strong core-cladding optical-overlap, the surface roughness at the silica cladding struts and the presence of interface-modes limited the lowest reported transmission-loss to 1.2 dB/km at 1550 nm. This hope is recently revived by the introduction of hypocycloid core- contour (i.e. negative curvature) in inhibited-coupling …
Optical fibers are widely used in bioimaging systems as flexible endoscopes capable of low-invasive penetration inside hollow tissue cavities. Here, we report on the technique which allows magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of hollow-core microstructured fibers (HC-MFs), paving the way for combing MRI and optical bioimaging. Our approach is based on Layer-by-Layer assembly of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes and magnetite nanoparticles on the inner core surface of HC-MFs. Incorporation of magnetite nanoparticles into polyelectrolyte layers renders HC-MFs visible for MRI and induces the red-sh…
Understanding cladding properties is crucial for designing microstructured optical fibers. This is particularly acute for Inhibited-Coupling guiding fibers because of the reliance of their core guidance on the core and cladding mode-field overlap integral. Consequently, careful planning of the fiber cladding parameters allows obtaining fibers with optimized characteristics such as low loss and broad transmission bandwidth. In this manuscript, we report on how one can tailor the modal properties of hollow-core photonic crystal fibers by adequately modifying the fiber cladding. We show that the …
By means of the transfer matrix method, the optical properties of fibers with a distinct intermediate layer between a hol-low core and periodic cladding are calculated. The periodic cladding consists of two types of the alternating layers. The intermediate layer has distinct thickness and refractive index. Depending on these parameters, the fiber can work in the single-mode or multi-mode regimes. In the multi-mode regime, the optical loss of the smallest loss mode can be de-creased by increasing the thickness of the layer. In the single-mode regime, the optical loss falls with a rise in the re…
We derive a sufficient condition for the existence of index-guided modes in a very general class of dielectric waveguides, including photonic-crystal fibers (arbitrary periodic claddings, such as ``holey fibers''), anisotropic materials, and waveguides with periodicity along the propagation direction. This condition provides a rigorous guarantee of cutoff-free index-guided modes in any such structure where the core is formed by increasing the index of refraction (e.g. removing a hole). It also provides a weaker guarantee of guidance in cases where the refractive index is increased ``on average…
In this letter, to the best of our knowledge, a new type of hollow-core anti-resonant fiber (HC-ARF) design using hybrid silica/chalcogenide cladding is presented for single-polarization, high-birefringence, and endlessly single-mode operation at 2 $μ$m wavelength. We show that the inclusion of a chalcogenide layer in the cladding allows strong suppression of $x$-polarization, while maintaining low propagation loss and single-mode propagation for $y$-polarization. The optimized HC-ARF design includes a combination of low propagation loss, high-birefringence, and polarization-extinction ratio (…
We show how to apply tiling and pattern theory in the design of hollow-core photonic crystal fibers and guide light in multiple bandgaps. By combining two different glass apexes in a single [$3^6$;$3^2$.$4.3.4$] 2-uniform tiling, transmission regions with fundamental, second and third harmonic wavelengths are supported. This cladding design may also be an excellent candidate for high power beam delivery of Er/Yb, Nd:YAG and Ti:Sapphire laser sources.
We investigate various methods for extending the simple analytical capillary model to describe the dispersion and loss of anti-resonant hollow-core fibers without the need of detailed finite-element simulations across the desired wavelength range. This poor-man's model can with a single fitting parameter quite accurately mimic dispersion and loss resonances and anti-resonances from full finite-element simulations. Due to the analytical basis of the model it is easy to explore variations in core size and cladding wall thickness, and should therefore provide a valuable tool for numerical simulat…
We demonstrate a new class of hollow-core Bragg fibers that are composed of concentric cylindrical silica rings separated by nanoscale support bridges. We theoretically predict and experimentally observe hollow-core confinement over an octave frequency range. The bandwidth of bandgap guiding in this new class of Bragg fibers exceeds that of other hollow-core fibers reported in the literature. With only three rings of silica cladding layers, these Bragg fibers achieve propagation loss of the order of 1 dB/m.
Surface modes (SM) are highly spatially localized modes existing at the core-cladding interface of photonic-bandgap hollow-core fiber (PBG-HCF). When coupling with SM, the air modes (AM) in the core would suffer a higher loss despite being spectrally within the cladding photonic bandgap, and would be highly dispersive around the avoided crossing (anti-crossing) wavelength. In this paper, we numerically demonstrate that such avoided crossings can play an important role in the tuning of the temperature dependence of group delay of AM of PBG-HCF. At higher temperatures, both the thermal-optic eff…
Spectral anti-crossings between the fundamental guided mode and core wall resonances alter the dispersion in hollow-core anti-resonant-reflection photonic crystal fibers. Here we study the effect of this dispersion change on the nonlinear propagation and dynamics of ultrashort pulses. We find that it causes emission of narrow spectral peaks through a combination of four-wave mixing and dispersive wave emission. We further investigate the influence of the anti-crossings on nonlinear pulse propagation and show that their impact can be minimized by adjusting the core-wall thickness in such a way …
The remarkable recent demonstrations in ultralow loss Inhibited-Coupling (IC) hollow-core photonic crystal fibers (HCPCFs) place them as serious candidates for the next-generation of long-haul fiber optics systems. A hindrance to this prospect, but also to short-haul applications such as micromachining, where stable and high-quality beam delivery is needed, is the challenge to design and fabricate an IC-guiding fiber that combines ultra-low loss, truly and robust single-modeness, and polarization-maintaining operation. Design solutions proposed up to now require a trade-off between low loss an…
Infrared (IR) light is considered important for short-range wireless communication, thermal sensing, spectroscopy, material processing, medical surgery, astronomy etc. However, IR light is in general much harder to transport than optical light or microwave radiation. Existing hollow-core IR waveguides usually use a layer of metallic coating on the inner wall of the waveguide. Such a metallic layer, though reflective, still absorbs guided light significantly due to its finite Ohmic loss, especially for transverse-magnetic (TM) light. In this paper, we show that metal-wire based metamaterials ma…
Optical soliton dynamics can cause the extreme alteration of the temporal and spectral shape of a propagating light pulse. They occur at up to kilowatt peak powers in glass-core optical fibres and the gigawatt level in gas-filled microstructured hollow-core fibres. Here we demonstrate optical soliton dynamics in large-core hollow capillary fibres. This enables scaling of soliton effects by several orders of magnitude to the multi-mJ energy and terawatt peak power level. We experimentally demonstrate two key soliton effects. First, we observe self-compression to sub-cycle pulses and infer the c…
We numerically investigate the energy and arrival-time noise of ultrashort laser pulses produced via resonant dispersive wave emission in gas-filled hollow-core waveguides under the influence of pump-laser instability. We find that for low pump energy, fluctuations in the pump energy are strongly amplified. However, when the generation process is saturated, the energy of the resonant dispersive wave can be significantly less noisy than that of the pump pulse. This holds for a variety of generation conditions and while still producing few-femtosecond pulses. We further find that the arrival-tim…
We study coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy in air-filled anti-resonance hollow-core photonic crystal fiber, otherwise known as 'revolver' fiber. We compare the vibrational coherent anti-Stokes Raman signal of N$_2$, at 2331 cm$^{-1}$, generated in ambient air (no fiber present), with the one generated in a 2.96 cm of a revolver fiber. We show a 170 times enhancement for the signal produced in the fiber, due to an increased interaction path. Remarkably, the N$_2$ signal obtained in the revolver fiber shows near-zero non-resonant background, due to near-zero overlap between the laser field…
The photonic crystal fibers (PCF) or air-silica microstructured fibers consist of a periodic array of dielectric transverse. By introducing a defect in this structure, it is possible to guide the light by a photonic bandgap effect, whose properties are different fundamentally from the guide by total internal reflection that takes place in conventional fibers. PCF with two cores have significant potential, and this is one of the main motivations witches led us to approach this theme in this article. Analysis of the inter-core coupling was also necessary to study the problem of crosstalk. Their …
We demonstrate a fibre-based approach that generates mid-infrared femtosecond pulses in the 3-4 μm spectral region with microjoule-level single pulse energy. This is realised in a piece of gas-filled antiresonant hollow-core fibre that is pumped by a two-micron light source. A rapid variation of the dispersion near a structural resonance of the fibre creates a phase-matching point in the mid-infrared, which mediates the frequency-down conversion. We generate femtosecond pulses centred at 3.16 μm wavelength with the pulse energy of more than 1 μJ, achieving the conversion efficiency as high as …
Optical properties of hollow-core revolver fibers are numerically investigated depending on various parameters: the hollow-core diameter, the capillary wall thickness, the values of the minimum gap between the capillaries, the number of capillaries in the cladding and the type of glass (silica and chalcogenide). Preliminary, similar calculations are made for simple models of hollow-core fibers. Based on the obtained results, the optimal design of the revolver fiber for Raman laser frequency conversion (1560 nm to 4420 nm in H2) was determined. As a result, efficient ns-pulsed 4420 nm Raman las…
Hollow-core holey fibers are promising candidates for low-loss guidance of light in various applications, e.g., for the use in laser guide star adaptive optics systems in optical astronomy. We present an accurate and fast method for the computation of light modes in arbitrarily shaped waveguides. Maxwell's equations are discretized using vectorial finite elements (FEM). We discuss how we utilize concepts like adaptive grid refinement, higher-order finite elements, and transparent boundary conditions for the computation of leaky modes in photonic crystal fibers. Further, we investigate the conv…
In this work we report two designs of subwavelength fibers packaged for practical terahertz wave guiding. We describe fabrication, modeling and characterization of microstructured polymer fibers featuring a subwavelength-size core suspended in the middle of a large porous outer cladding. This design allows convenient handling of the subwavelength fibers without distorting their modal profile. Additionally, the air-tight porous cladding serves as a natural enclosure for the fiber core, thus avoiding the need for a bulky external enclosure for humidity-purged atmosphere. Fibers of 5 mm and 3 mm …
In hydrodynamics, vortex generation upon the transition from smooth laminar flows to turbulence is generally accompanied by increased dissipation. However, plane vortices can provide transport barriers and decrease losses, as it happens in numerous geophysical, astrophysical flows and in tokamaks. Photon interactions with matter can affectlight transportin waveguides in unexpected and somewhat counterintuitive ways resembling fluid dynamics. Here, we demonstrate dramatic impact of light vortex formation in micro-structured optical fibres on the energy dissipation. We show possibility of vortic…
While optical fibers display excellent performances in the infrared, visible and ultraviolet ranges remain poorly addressed by them. Obtaining better fibers for the short-wavelength range has been restricted, in all fiber optics, by scattering processes. In hollow-core fibers, the scattering loss arises from the core roughness and represents the limiting factor in reducing their loss regardless of the fiber cladding confinement power. To attain fibers performing at short wavelengths, it is paramount developing means to minimize the height variations on the fiber microstructure boundaries. Here…
The development of highly-sensitive and miniaturized sensors that capable of real-time analytes detection is highly desirable. Nowadays, toxic or colorless gas detection, air pollution monitoring, harmful chemical, pressure, strain, humidity, and temperature sensors based on photonic crystal fiber (PCF) are increasing rapidly due to its compact structure, fast response and efficient light controlling capabilities. The propagating light through the PCF can be controlled by varying the structural parameters and core-cladding materials, as a result, evanescent field can be enhanced significantly …
We demonstrate a quantitative broadband fiber sensor, based on evanescent field sensing in the cladding holes of an air-suspended solid-core photonic crystal fiber. We discuss the fabrication process, together with the structural- and optical characterization of a range of different fibers. Measured mode profiles are in good agreement with finite element method calculations made without free parameters. The fraction of the light in the hollow cladding can be tuned via the core diameter of the fiber. Dispersion measurements are in excellent agreement with theory and demonstrate tuning of the ze…
