Spiral photonic-crystal fiber design is golden

Dec. 1, 2008
Engineers at City University London (London, England) have demonstrated a photonic-crystal fiber (PCF) in which the air holes were laid out in a “golden spiral” (GS)–a pattern governed by a mathematical constant(approximately 1.61803) known by artists and architects since the Renaissance as the Golden Ratio.

Engineers at City University London (London, England) have demonstrated a photonic-crystal fiber (PCF) in which the air holes were laid out in a “golden spiral” (GS)–a pattern governed by a mathematical constant (approximately 1.61803) known by artists and architects since the Renaissance as the Golden Ratio. Such a hole design does not exhibit rotational symmetry, and thus has no degeneracy of modes. This property, along with a diffraction pattern of isotropic circular Bragg rings, enables for low-loss coupling of the fiber with other devices.

Arti Agrawal and colleagues used a vectorial finite-element method to compute a modal birefringence value of 0.015 at a wavelength of 1.55 µm. Such highly birefringent fibers can be used in high-speed optical communications, sensing, and polarized fiber lasers. The GS-PCF also exhibited highly tunable dispersion, which is dependent on the parameters of the spiral and the air holes, with multiple zero-dispersion wavelengths. Circular, identical air holes mean the fibers can be easily fabricated. The two-dimensional chiral nature of the GS-PCF may also hold promise for use in nonreciprocal optical dielectric devices at telecommunications wavelengths. Contact Aziz Rahman at [email protected].

Sponsored Recommendations

Brain Computer Interface (BCI) electrode manufacturing

Jan. 31, 2025
Learn how an industry-leading Brain Computer Interface Electrode (BCI) manufacturer used precision laser micromachining to produce high-density neural microelectrode arrays.

Electro-Optic Sensor and System Performance Verification with Motion Systems

Jan. 31, 2025
To learn how to use motion control equipment for electro-optic sensor testing, click here to read our whitepaper!

How nanopositioning helped achieve fusion ignition

Jan. 31, 2025
In December 2022, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's National Ignition Facility (NIF) achieved fusion ignition. Learn how Aerotech nanopositioning contributed to this...

Nanometer Scale Industrial Automation for Optical Device Manufacturing

Jan. 31, 2025
In optical device manufacturing, choosing automation technologies at the R&D level that are also suitable for production environments is critical to bringing new devices to market...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Laser Focus World, create an account today!