Abstract

Photonic crystal fiber (PCF) permits much wider adjustment of key characteristics such as modal phase index, dispersion, nonlinearity and birefringence than is possible in conventional fiber, opening the door to new applications in telecommunications and beyond. PCF can be used to maintain light in a tight focus over kilometer distances inside a hollow core, for example, to laser-guide small particles, molecules or atoms along a curved path, and to fashion a whole range of in-fiber devices and low-loss transitions.

© 2007 Optical Society of America