High Air-filling Fraction Research Articles

Polarization Properties of Selectively Gold-filled Suspended Core Microstructured Optical Fibers

We study the polarization properties of suspended core microstructured optical fibers (SC-MOFs) with hexagonal lattice structure and high air-filling fraction having a single gold-filled hole along the horizontal axis. The interaction between the core-guided light and metal leads to surface plasmon resonance (SPR) at particular frequencies where the phase-matching condition is satisfied. We observe from the modal analysis that MOFs with high air-filling fraction offer the possibility of coupling of the fundamental mode with the first-order surface plasmon polariton (SPP) mode. With the increase in the suspension factor (SF), the fundamental mode couples with higher order SPP modes and the coupling strength also enhances. It also leads to an increase in modal birefringence. Reduction in beat length by an order of magnitude compared to the reported values is being reported for the first time to our knowledge. We have achieved the lowest beat length of 0.0105 mm at 1 μm wavelength for the structure having d/Λ = 0.85 and SF = 1.65. The results show that such plasmonic SC-MOFs may perform as efficient in-fiber polarizers and polarization filters.

A path to high-quality imaging through disordered optical fibers: a review.

In this paper, we review recent progress in disordered optical fiber featuring transverse Anderson localization and its applications for imaging. Anderson localizing optical fiber has a transversely random but longitudinally uniform refractive index profile. The strong scattering from the transversely disordered refractive index profiles generates thousands of guiding modes that are spatially isolated and mainly demonstrate single-mode properties. By making use of these beam transmission channels, robust and high-fidelity imaging transport can be realized. The first disordered optical fiber of this type, the polymer Anderson localizing optical fiber, has been utilized to demonstrate better imaging performance than some of the commercial multicore fibers within a few centimeters transmission distance. To obtain longer transmission lengths and better imaging qualities, glass-air disordered optical fibers are desirable due to their lower loss and larger refractive index contrast. Recently developed high air-filling fraction glass-air disordered fiber can provide bending-independent and high-quality image transport through a meter-long transmission distance. By integrating a deep-learning algorithm with glass-air disordered fiber, a fully flexible, artifact-free, and lensless fiber imaging system is demonstrated, with potential benefits for biomedical and clinical applications. Future research will focus on optimizing structural parameters of disordered optical fiber as well as developing more efficient deep-learning algorithms to further improve the imaging performance.

Surface Brillouin scattering in photonic crystal fibers.

We report, to the best of our knowledge, the first experimental observation of surface Brillouin scattering in silica-based photonic crystal fibers, arising from the interaction between guided light and surface acoustic waves. This was achieved using small-core and high air-filling fraction microstructured fibers that enable a strong opto-acoustic coupling near the air holes while mitigating the acoustic leakages in the microstructured cladding. It is further shown that this new type of light scattering is highly sensitive to the fiber air-hole microstructure, thus providing a passive and efficient way to control it. Our observations are confirmed through numerical simulations of the elastodynamics equation.

Visible supercontinuum generation in large-core photonic crystal fiber with high air-filling fraction

We demonstrate new experimental results for visible supercontinuum generation in large-core photonic crystal fiber with high air-filling fraction. Supercontinuum is generated by picosecond pulses from a passively mode-locked Yb:KGW laser. A smooth supercontinuum generation near 800 nm is achieved using 4.5 m long large-core photonic crystal fiber even with 6 mW average coupled power. These results are of interest in high power white light sources and have potential applications in precise frequency metrology and spectroscopy. The data obtained could be used also in theoretical studies of nonlinear interaction in large-core photonics crystal fibers with high air-filling fraction.

Deep-ultraviolet to mid-infrared supercontinuum generated in solid-core ZBLAN photonic crystal fibre

Silica-based photonic crystal fibre has proven highly successful for supercontinuum generation, with smooth and flat spectral power densities. However, fused silica glass suffers from strong material absorption in the mid-infrared (>2,500 nm), as well as ultraviolet-related optical damage (solarization), which limits performance and lifetime in the ultraviolet (<380 nm). Supercontinuum generation in silica photonic crystal fibre is therefore only possible between these limits. A number of alternative glasses have been used to extend the mid-infrared performance, including chalcogenides, fluorides and heavy-metal oxides, but none has extended the ultraviolet performance. Here, we describe the successful fabrication (using the stack-and-draw technique) of a ZBLAN photonic crystal fibre with a high air-filling fraction, a small solid core, nanoscale features and near-perfect structure. We also report its use in the generation of ultrabroadband, long-term stable, supercontinua spanning more than three octaves in the spectral range 200–2,500 nm. A low-loss ZBLAN micro-structured fibre is used to generate a supercontinuum spanning from the UV to the mid-IR (200 nm–2,500 nm). The material has high resistance even after extended operation and can withstand large spectral power densities.

MicroStructure Element Method (MSEM): viscous flow model for the virtual draw of microstructured optical fibers.

We propose a new method to accurately model the structural evolution of a microstructured fiber (MOF) during its drawing process, given its initial preform structure and draw conditions. The method, applicable to a broad range of MOFs with high air-filling fraction and thin glass membranes, is an extension of the Discrete Element Method; it determines forces on the nodes in the microstructure to progressively update their position along the neck-down region, until the fiber reaches a final frozen state. The model is validated through simulation of 6 Hollow Core Photonic Band Gap Fibers (HC-PBGFs) and is shown to predict accurately the final fiber dimensions and cross-sectional distortions. The model is vastly more capable than other state of the art models and allows fast exploration of wide drawing parameter spaces, eliminating the need for expensive and time-consuming empirical parameter scans.

Dependence of Frequency Shift of Depolarized Guided Acoustic Wave Brillouin Scattering in Photonic Crystal Fibers

We study through experiment, calculation and simulation the frequency dependence of depolarized GAWBS observed in four different photonic crystal fibers and extend the results to others through simulation. In two of the fibers studied, high frequency modes (>; 1 GHz) are observed in addition to the usual lower frequency torsional radial (TR) modes. The acoustic modes responsible for GAWBS are characterized through a combination of simulations and experiments. The calculations are done using the silica rod approximation, which is valid for PCFs with a low to intermediate air-fill fraction or with a very high air-filling fraction. Further simulations extend the range of photonic crystal fibers in which acoustic modes can be characterized. These are used to study the dependence of the acoustic mode frequency on key fiber parameters such as the ratio of air to silica across the whole cross section (κ) and the lattice pitch (Λ) .

The Second Order Guided Modes Based on Photonic Bandgap Effects in Air/Glass Photonic Crystal Fibers

We introduce a defect site in the periodic structure of a photonic bandgap fiber, to confine and guide the second order mode by photonic bandgap effects. Based on a high air-filling fraction photonic crystal cladding structure, a simplified model with an equivalent air cladding was proposed to explore and analyze the properties of this second order guided mode.

Generation of supercontinuum and its theoretical study in three-ring silica microstructured optical fibers

We report supercontinuum generation in nonlinear microstructured optical fibers (MOFs) especially fabricated in a two-step stack and draw process having three rings of airholes. High air-filling fraction (>0.9) is obtained in a simple and straightforward way during the drawing process which is essential to enhance nonlinearity. Two of the fabricated samples are characterized and zero dispersion wavelength is tailored to achieve efficient pumping in the anomalous group velocity dispersion regime. The characteristics of the supercontinuum band as observed experimentally show good agreement with the predicted numerically simulated results, where soliton mediated dispersive waves are distinctly observed.

Control of the fabrication parameters during the fabrication of photonic crystal fibers

The interplay between the fabrication parameters during the fabrication of photonic crystal fibers（PCF） are numerically analyzed. Relation between these parameters and the final fiber’s geometry is identified. With the cooperative control of drawing temperature and feed speed, the final hole structure can be effectively controlled by tuning the applied pressure. A single-mode PCF with its d/Λ approaching 0.45, and a PCF with high air-filling fraction, whose d/Λ equals 0.8, are successfully fabricated. For fabrication of PCFs with uneven-sized holes, parameter control alone is sometimes inadequate in achieving the desired geometry. Taking a single-polarization single-mode（SPSM） PCF structure as example, the preform’s geometry is redesigned for optimization by inverse calculation. And the required SPSM PCF can thus be fabricated.

A new method of modeling cladding band structure of air-guiding photonic crystal fibers

Cladding band structure of air-guiding photonic crystal fibers with high air-filling fraction is calculated in terms of fiber shape variation. The fundamental photonic band gap dependence on structure parameters, air-filling fraction and spacing, is also investigated. The numerical results show that the band gap edges shift toward longer wavelength as the air-filling fraction is increased, whereas the relative band gap width increases linearly. For a fixed air-filling fraction, the band gap edges with respect to spacing keep constant. With this method, the simulation results agree well with the reported data.

High group birefringence in air-core photonic bandgap fibers

A numerical investigation of group birefringence is carried out on a recently reported highly birefringent hollow-core photonic bandgap fiber by use of an efficient vector finite-element method. The hollow fiber core has an area as large as that of approximately four airholes in the cladding region and assumes a rhombic shape with round corners, and the airholes in the cladding region are hexagonal and provide a high air-filling fraction. Numerical results show very high group birefringence of the order of 10(-2) and phase birefringence of the order of 10(-3).

Characterization of chromatic dispersion in photonic crystal fibers using scalar modulation instability

A simple and accurate method is proposed for characterizing the chromatic dispersion of high air-filling fraction photonic crystal fibers. The method is based upon scalar modulation instability generated by a strong pump wave propagating near the zero-dispersion wavelength. Measuring the modulation instability sideband frequency shifts as a function of wavelength gives a direct measurement of the fiber's chromatic dispersion over a wide wavelength range. To simplify the dispersion calculation we introduce a simple analytical model of the fiber's dispersion, and verify its accuracy via a full numerical simulation. Measurements of the chromatic dispersion of two different types of high air-filling fraction photonic crystal fibers are presented.

Competition between spectral splitting and Raman frequency shift in negative-dispersion slope photonic crystal fiber

We report on the nonlinear behavior of high air-filling fraction solid-core photonic crystal fibers pumped with ultrashort pulses in the vicinity of a negative-slope zero-crossing of the group velocity dispersion. We observed dramatically different behavior when the pump wavelength lies in the normal or the anomalous dispersion range. When pumping at the zero-dispersion wavelength the combined effects of spectral splitting, self-phase modulation and soliton self-frequency shift result a “comma”-shape of the power-dependant spectra. This spectral feature is explained using a simple model.