<title>Waveguide nonlinear optics scaled to higher peak powers with large-core-area hollow photonic-crystal fibers</title>

Abstract

Hollow photonic-crystal fibers (PCFs) with large core diameters are shown to allow waveguide nonlinear-optical interactions to be scaled to higher pulse peak powers. Phase-matched four-wave mixing is demonstrated for millijoule nanosecond pulses guided by photonic band gaps of hollow fibers with a two-dimensionally periodic cladding and a core diameter of about 50 tm. Such hollow PCFs provide interesting nonlinear-optical waveguide transmission regimes for 10-MW femtosecond Cr: forsterite laser pulses, allowing dispersion pulse spreading to be substantially reduced through nonlinear-optical refractive-index modulation.