Mode profiles and dispersion properties of silica/air photonic bandgap fibers

Abstract

With the advent of microstructured optical fibers, the possibility of guiding light in a low-index core by the photonic bandgap effect has opened up. In this paper, we review the types and properties of photonic bandgap (PBG) fibers realised or suggested in the literature. Particular attention is given to a description of the dispersion properties and their relation to the evolution of the field distribution. Since PBG fibers trap light in a low-index core region over finite frequency intervals, the dispersion properties of these fibers turn out to be quite distinct from those of conventional or microstructured fibers with high-index cores.