7-cell core hollow-core photonic crystal fibers with low loss in the spectral region around 2 microm

Transient gas-induced differential refractive index effects in as-drawn hollow core optical fibers

When a hollow core fiber is drawn, the core and cladding holes within the internal cane geometry are pressurized with an inert gas to enable precise control over the internal microstructure of the fiber and counteract surface tension forces. Primarily by considering the temperature drop as the fiber passes through the furnace and the geometrical transformation of the internal microstructure from preform-to-fiber, we recently established that the gas pressure within the final 'as-drawn' fiber is substantially below atmospheric pressure. We have also established that slight changes in the gas refractive index within the core and surrounding cladding holes induced by changes in gas pressure are sufficient to significantly affect both the modality and loss of the fiber. Here we demonstrate, through both simulations and experimental measurements, that the combination of these effects leads to transient changes in the fiber's attenuation when the fibers are opened to atmosphere post-fabrication. It is important to account for this phenomenon for accurate fiber characterization, particularly when long lengths of fiber are drawn where it could take many weeks for every part of the internal microstructure to reach atmospheric pressure.

Hollow-core fiber delivery of broadband mid-infrared light for remote spectroscopy

High-resolution multi-species spectroscopy is achieved by delivering broadband 3-4-μm mid-infrared light through a 4.5-meter-long silica-based hollow-core optical fiber. Absorptions from H³⁷Cl, H³⁵Cl, H₂O and CH₄ present in the gas within the fiber core are observed, and the corresponding gas concentrations are obtained to 5-ppb precision using a high-resolution Fourier-transform spectrometer and a full-spectrum multi-species fitting algorithm. We show that by fully fitting the narrow absorption features of these light molecules their contributions can be nulled, enabling further spectroscopy of C₃H₆O and C₃H₈O contained in a Herriott cell after the fiber. As a demonstration of the potential to extend fiber-delivered broadband mid-infrared spectroscopy to significant distances, we present a high-resolution characterization of the transmission of a 63-meter length of hollow-core fiber, fully fitting the input and output spectra to obtain the intra-fiber gas concentrations. We show that, despite the fiber not having been purged, useful spectroscopic windows are still preserved which have the potential to enable hydrocarbon spectroscopy at the distal end of fibers with lengths of tens or even hundreds of meters.

Applying tiling and pattern theory in the design of hollow-core photonic crystal fibers for multi-wavelength beam guidance

We apply tiling and pattern theory in the design of hollow-core photonic crystal fibers for guiding light in multiple spectral bandgaps. By combining two different glass apexes in a single [3⁶;3².4.3.4] 2-uniform tiling, transmission regions with fundamental, second and third harmonic wavelengths are supported. This cladding design may also be an excellent candidate for high power beam delivery of Er/Yb, Nd:YAG and Ti:Sapphire laser sources.

Light guidance up to 6.5 µm in borosilicate soft glass hollow-core microstructured optical waveguides

Limited operating bandwidth originated from strong absorption of glass materials in the infrared (IR) spectral region has hindered the potential applications of microstructured optical waveguide (MOW)-based sensors. Here, we demonstrate multimode waveguide regime up to 6.5 µm for the hollow-core (HC) MOWs drawn from borosilicate soft glass. Effective light guidance in central HC (diameter ∼240 µm) was observed from 0.4 to 6.5 µm despite high waveguide losses (0.4 and 1 dB/cm in near- and mid-IR, respectively). Additional optimization of the waveguide structure can potentially extend its operating range and decrease transmission losses, offering an attractive alternative to tellurite and chalcogenide-based fibers. Featuring the transparency in mid-IR, HC MOWs are promising candidates for the creation of MOW-based sensors for chemical and biomedical applications.

Antiresonant Hollow-Core Fiber-Based Dual Gas Sensor for Detection of Methane and Carbon Dioxide in the Near- and Mid-Infrared Regions

In this work, we present for the first time a laser-based dual gas sensor utilizing a silica-based Antiresonant Hollow-Core Fiber (ARHCF) operating in the Near- and Mid-Infrared spectral region. A 1-m-long fiber with an 84-µm diameter air-core was implemented as a low-volume absorption cell in a sensor configuration utilizing the simple and well-known Wavelength Modulation Spectroscopy (WMS) method. The fiber was filled with a mixture of methane (CH₄) and carbon dioxide (CO₂), and a simultaneous detection of both gases was demonstrated targeting their transitions at 3.334 µm and 1.574 µm, respectively. Due to excellent guidance properties of the fiber and low background noise, the proposed sensor reached a detection limit down to 24 parts-per-billion by volume for CH₄ and 144 parts-per-million by volume for CO₂. The obtained results confirm the suitability of ARHCF for efficient use in gas sensing applications for over a broad spectral range. Thanks to the demonstrated low loss, such fibers with lengths of over one meter can be used for increasing the laser-gas molecules interaction path, substituting bulk optics-based multipass cells, while delivering required flexibility, compactness, reliability and enhancement in the sensor’s sensitivity.

Slow-light based tunable delay and narrowband comb filtering at 2 μm

Development of coherent sources, wideband thulium-doped fiber amplifiers, and fiber components has opened up the wavelength region around 2000 nm for optical communications, sensing, and medical surgery. However, several key functionalities that are critical to enable these applications are not yet well developed and, therefore, need attention. Here, we present demonstration of two critical signal processing tasks viz: (1) tunable delay and (2) tunable narrowband filter, which are important for enabling optical communications using wavelengths around 2000 nm. We exploit stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) in a 100 m long SM1950 fiber to report the first demonstration of slow-light based tunable delay around 2000 nm. For a 35 ns input pulse, we tune the delay up to a maximum of 18.8 ns, which corresponds to a relative delay of ∼0.5, by varying the pump power to achieve a maximum gain of 12.6 dB. For the 1550 nm wavelength regime, it has been shown that the Brillouin slow-light typically results in a delay of 1 ns/dB, which is less than the 1.67 ns/dB obtained at 2000 nm. For the same gain, the large delay at 2 μm compared to 1.55 μm results from the narrow gain bandwidth (∼22  MHz) of the SBS process in this wavelength regime. Using the narrow gain bandwidth of SBS, we present a proof-of-concept experiment to demonstrate filtering of individual comb lines in a comb with frequency spacing <50  MHz. Demonstration of tunable narrowband filter and delay enables optical signal processing and line-by-line control of comb lines at 2 μm.

Low-index-mode photonic crystal nanobeam cavity for refractive index sensing at the 2 μm wavelength band

We present the design, fabrication, and characterization of a one-dimensional photonic crystal (1D-PhC) low-index-mode nanobeam cavity on the silicon-on-insulator platform for refractive index sensing at the 2 μm wavelength band. A Q-factor of 4.35×10⁵ and an effective mode volume of V_eff∼1.95(λ/n_Si)³ are theoretically achieved. The measured transmission spectrum of the device immersed in NaCl solutions with different mass concentrations demonstrates a sensitivity of 326.1 nm/RIU and a Q-factor of ∼1144.

7-cell hollow-core photonic bandgap fiber with broad spectral bandwidth and low loss

The limited spectral bandwidth achieved in state-of-the-art hollow-core photonic bandgap fibers (HC-PBGF) has hindered its implementation in a wide range of applications. Here we demonstrate that broad spectral bandwidth and low loss can be simultaneously achieved in 7-cell HC-PBGF. Several 7-cell HC-PBGFs operating at 1550 nm telecom band and 1 μm laser band are present. One of the fibers exhibits a minimum loss of 6.5 dB/km at 1633 nm and a 3 dB bandwidth of 458 nm, approaching a bandwidth to central wavelength ratio of 26%. This is to our knowledge the broadest bandwidth achieved in triangular lattice HC-PBGF and the lowest transmission loss in 7-cell HC-PBGF.

Dual-bandgap hollow-core photonic crystal fibers for third harmonic generation

We present two novel hybrid photonic structures made of silica that possess two well-separated frequency bandgaps. The addition of interstitial air holes in a precise location and size allows these bandgaps to open with a ratio of ∼3 between their central frequencies at the air line ck(z)/w=1, thus fulfilling the basic guidance condition for third harmonic generation in hollow-core fibers. In addition, these designs may serve for high-power laser delivery of two well-separated wavelengths, such as visible and near infrared.

Nested antiresonant nodeless hollow core fiber

We propose a novel hollow core fiber design based on nested and non-touching antiresonant tube elements arranged around a central core. We demonstrate through numerical simulations that such a design can achieve considerably lower loss than other state-of-the-art hollow fibers. By adding additional pairs of coherently reflecting surfaces without introducing nodes, the Hollow Core Nested Antiresonant Nodeless Fiber (HC-NANF) can achieve values of confinement loss similar or lower than that of its already low surface scattering loss, while maintaining multiple and octave-wide antiresonant windows of operation. As a result, the HC-NANF can in principle reach a total value of loss - including leakage, surface scattering and bend contributions - that is lower than that of conventional solid fibers. Besides, through resonant out-coupling of high order modes they can be made to behave as effectively single mode fibers.

First demonstration of a 2μm few-mode TDFA for mode division multiplexing

We report the first demonstration of an inline few-mode thulium doped fiber amplifier (TDFA) operating at 2μm for mode division multiplexed transmission. Similar gain and noise figure performance for both the LP(01) and LP(11) modes are obtained in a cladding pumped 2-mode group TDFA. A maximum gain of 18.3dB was measured at 1970nm with a 3dB gain bandwidth of 75nm while the average noise figure was measured to be between 7 and 8dB for wavelengths longer than 1970nm.

Low-loss and low-bend-sensitivity mid-infrared guidance in a hollow-core-photonic-bandgap fiber

Hollow-core-photonic-bandgap fiber, fabricated from high-purity synthetic silica, with a wide operating bandwidth between 3.1 and 3.7 μm, is reported. A minimum attenuation of 0.13 dB/m is achieved through a 19-cell core design with a thin core wall surround. The loss is reduced further to 0.05 dB/m following a purging process to remove hydrogen chloride gas from the fiber-representing more than an order of magnitude loss reduction as compared to previously reported bandgap-guiding fibers operating in the mid-infrared. The fiber also offers a low bend sensitivity of <0.25 dB per 5 cm diameter turn over a 300 nm bandwidth. Simulations are in good agreement with the achieved losses and indicate that a further loss reduction of more than a factor of 2 should be possible by enlarging the core using a 37-cell design.

Demonstration of amplified data transmission at 2 µm in a low-loss wide bandwidth hollow core photonic bandgap fiber

The first demonstration of a hollow core photonic bandgap fiber (HC-PBGF) suitable for high-rate data transmission in the 2 µm waveband is presented. The fiber has a record low loss for this wavelength region (4.5 dB/km at 1980 nm) and a >150 nm wide surface-mode-free transmission window at the center of the bandgap. Detailed analysis of the optical modes and their propagation along the fiber, carried out using a time-of-flight technique in conjunction with spatially and spectrally resolved (S2) imaging, provides clear evidence that the HC-PBGF can be operated as quasi-single mode even though it supports up to four mode groups. Through the use of a custom built Thulium doped fiber amplifier with gain bandwidth closely matched to the fiber's low loss window, error-free 8 Gbit/s transmission in an optically amplified data channel at 2008 nm over 290 m of 19 cell HC-PBGF is reported.

Diode-pumped wideband thulium-doped fiber amplifiers for optical communications in the 1800 - 2050 nm window

We present the first in-band diode-pumped TDFAs operating in the 2 µm wavelength region and test their suitability as high performance amplifiers in potential future telecommunication networks. We demonstrate amplification over a 240 nm wide window in the range 1810 - 2050 nm with up to 36 dB gain and noise figure as low as 4.5 dB.

Thulium-doped fiber amplifier for optical communications at 2 µm

We report the first experimental realization and detailed characterization of thulium doped fiber amplifiers (TDFAs) specifically designed for optical communications providing high gain (>35 dB), noise figure as low as 5 dB, and over 100 nm wide bandwidth around 2 µm. A maximum saturated output power of 1.2 W was achieved with a slope efficiency of 50%. The gain dynamics of the amplifier were also examined. Our results show that TDFAs are well qualified as high performance amplifiers for possible future telecommunication networks operating around 2 µm.

Two-mode multiplexing at 2 × 10.7 Gbps over a 7-cell hollow-core photonic bandgap fiber

Current technologies are fast approaching the capacity limit of single mode fibers (SMFs). Hollow-core photonic bandgap fibers (HC-PBGFs) are expected to provide attractive long-term solutions in terms of ultra-low fiber nonlinearities associated with the possibility of mode scaling, thus enabling mode division multiplexing (MDM). In this work, we demonstrate MDM over a HC-PBGF for the first time. Two 10.7 Gbps channels are simultaneously transmitted over two modes of a 30-m long 7-cell HC-PBGF. Bit error ratio (BER) performances below the FEC threshold limit (3.3 × 10(-3)) are shown for both data channels when the two modes are transmitted simultaneously. No power penalty and up to 3 dB power penalty at a BER of 10(-9) are measured for single mode transmission using the fundamental and the LP(11) mode, respectively. The performance of this exploratory demonstration is expected to improve significantly if advanced mode launching and detection methods are used.

Matched cascade of bandgap-shift and frequency-conversion using stimulated Raman scattering in a tapered hollow-core photonic crystal fibre

We report on a novel means which lifts the restriction of the limited optical bandwidth of photonic bandgap hollow-core photonic crystal fiber on generating high order stimulated Raman scattering in gaseous media. This is based on H(2)-filled tapered HC-PCF in which the taper slope is matched with the effective length of Raman process. Raman orders outside the input-bandwidth of the HC-PCF are observed with more than 80% quantum-conversion using a compact, low-power 1064 nm microchip laser. The technique opens prospects for efficient sources in spectral regions that are poorly covered by currently existing lasers such as mid-IR.