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SYPK: Photonische Kristalle

SYPK I: HV I

SYPK I.1: Hauptvortrag

Donnerstag, 27. März 2003, 11:00–12:00, F 303

New Age Fiber Crystals — •Philip Russell — Optoelectronics Group, Department of Physics, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, United Kingdom, p.s.j.russell@bath.ac.uk

Photonic crystal fibers (PCFs - sometimes also known as “holey” or “microstructured” fibers) have been the focus of increasing scientific and technological interest since the first working example was produced in late 1995 (reported at the Optical Fiber Communications Conference in March 1996). Although superficially similar to a conventional optical fiber, PCF has a unique microstructure, consisting of an array of microscopic holes (or channels) that run along the entire length of the fiber. These holes act as optical barriers or scatterers, which suitably arranged can “corral” light within a central core (either hollow or made of solid glass). The holes can range in diameter from  25 nm to  50 µm. Although most PCF is formed in pure silica glass, it has also recently been made using polymers and non-silica glasses, where it is difficult to find compatible core and cladding materials suitable for conventional total internal reflection guidance. PCF supports two guidance mechanisms: total internal reflection, in which case the core must have a higher average refractive index than the holey cladding; and a two-dimensional photonic bandgap, when the index of the core is uncritical - it can be hollow or filled with material . Light can be controlled and transformed in these fibers with unprecedented freedom, allowing for example the guiding of light in a hollow core, the creation of highly nonlinear solid cores with anomalous dispersion in the visible and the design of fibers that support only one transverse spatial mode at all wavelengths. As the performance of these fibres continues to improve (losses of 13 dB/km for hollow core and 0.58 dB/km for solid core PCFs were reported recently), applications are emerging in many diverse areas of science and technology. The PCF concept is ushering in a new and more versatile age of fibre optics, with a multitude of different applications spanning many areas of science and technology