title: Hollow-core photonic crystal fiber-optic probes for Raman spectroscopy.
abstract: We have implemented a new Raman fiber-optic probe design based on a hollow-core photonic-crystal excitation fiber surrounded by silica-core collection fibers. The photonic-crystal fiber offers low attenuation at the pump radiation wavelength, mechanical flexibility, high radiation stability, and low background noise. Because the excitation beam is transmitted through air inside the hollow-core fiber, silica Raman scattering is much reduced, improving the quality of the spectra obtained using probes of this design. Preliminary results show that the new probe design decreases the Raman background from the silica by approximately an order of magnitude compared to solid-core silica Raman probes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, The University of British Columbia, 6174 University Boulevard, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3, Canada.
authors.forename: Stanislav O
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Konorov
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Addison
authors.forename: H Georg
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Schulze
authors.forename: Robin F B
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: Michael W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Blades
mesh_terms: D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation*; D055100:Optical Fibers; D017785:Photons; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D012822:Silicon Dioxide