Abstract
We have selectively filled the core of hollow photonic crystal fibre with silica aerogel. Light is guided in the aerogel core, with a measured attenuation of 0.2 dB/cm at 1540 nm comparable to that of bulk aerogel. The structure guides light by different mechanisms depending on the wavelength. At long wavelengths the effective index of the microstructured cladding is below the aerogel index of 1.045 and guidance is by total internal reflection. At short wavelengths, where the effective cladding index exceeds 1.045, a photonic bandgap can guide the light instead. There is a small region of crossover, where both index- and bandgap-guided modes were simultaneously observed.
Highlights
We report single-mode light guidance in an aerogel core, hosted in a hollow-core photonic crystal fibre (PCF)
We have selectively filled the core of hollow photonic crystal fibre with silica aerogel
Light is guided in the aerogel core, with a measured attenuation of 0.2 dB/cm at 1540 nm comparable to that of bulk aerogel
Summary
We report single-mode light guidance in an aerogel core, hosted in a hollow-core photonic crystal fibre (PCF). Received 6 Aug 2010; accepted 23 Sep 2010; published 8 Oct 2010 11 October 2010 / Vol 18, No 21 / OPTICS EXPRESS 22497 than that of solid silica [3], and it can be doped to provide gain, enhanced nonlinearity, plasmonic properties or a gas-permeable host for a volume distribution of nanoparticles [4]. To exploit such intensity-dependent interactions it would be advantageous to confine light to a small waveguide core made of aerogel. Inhomogeneities that cause beam distortion in bulk aerogel will not compromise beam quality in a guided mode
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