Erlangen 2018 – scientific programme

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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 53: Quantum Optics and Photonics III

Q 53.8: Talk

Thursday, March 8, 2018, 12:15–12:30, K 0.016

Twisted coreless photonic crystal fibre — •Gordon K. L. Wong, Ramin Beravat, Michael H. Frosz, Paul Roth, and Philip St.J. Russell — Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, Staudtstrasse 2, 91058 Erlangen, Germany

We report a new mechanism of light guidance, based on a continuously twisted photonic crystal fibre without any core structure. The permanent twist around the fibre axis was induced by spinning the fibre preform during the drawing process. Twisting the uniform periodic array of hollow channels creates a topological channel where light can be trapped. This unusual phenomenon arises from the quadratic increase in optical path length with radius, creating a potential well within which light is confined by photonic bandgap effects. The effective area of these orbital angular momentum carrying modes shrinks with increasing twist rate, so that by varying the twist rate along the fibre, it would be possible to create fibers whose mode-field diameter changes with axial position. Another advantage is the combination of a large mode area with anomalous dispersion at shorter wavelengths compared to conventional fibres. The ability of the fibre to transmit modes carrying orbital angular momentum and exhibit optical activity suggests that yet more applications will emerge.