Abstract

A major limitation to attaining low-loss single-mode guidance in hollow core photonic crystal fibre (PCF) is surface guided modes that are trapped in the core surround. This is particularly severe when high index (n > 2) glasses are used. By modelling a structure that has the characteristic features of a realistic fibre we show that, by tuning the thickness of the core wall, the influence of these �??surface�?? modes can be minimised. For a refractive index of 2.4 we predict power-in-air fractions of over 95% over a fractional bandwidth of ~ 5%, peaking at over 98%. The designs are appropriate for mid- to far-IR PCFs for which suitable glasses (e.g., tellurites and chalcogenides) have high refractive indices.

© 2005 Optical Society of America

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History
Original Manuscript: June 10, 2005
Revised Manuscript: August 23, 2005
Published: September 5, 2005

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Author Affiliations

G. Pearce, J. Pottage, D. Bird, P. Roberts, J. Knight, P. Russell

University of Bath

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