Hollow-core infrared fiber incorporating metal-wire metamaterial.
Infrared (IR) light is considered important for short-range wireless communication, thermal sensing, spectroscopy, material processing, medical surgery, astronomy etc. However, IR light is in general much harder to transport than optical light or microwave radiation. Existing hollow-core IR waveguides usually use a layer of metallic coating on the inner wall of the waveguide. Such a metallic layer, though reflective, still absorbs guided light significantly due to its finite Ohmic loss, especially for transverse-magnetic (TM) light. In this paper, we show that metal-wire based metamaterials may serve as an efficient TM reflector, reducing propagation loss of the TM mode by two orders of magnitude. By further imposing a conventional metal cladding layer, which reflects specifically transverse-electric (TE) light, we can potentially obtain a low-loss hollow-core fiber. Simulations confirm that loss values for several low-order modes are comparable to the best results reported so far.
Yan
Min
M
Department of Photonics Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark. miyan@fotonik.dtu.dk
Mortensen
Niels Asger
NA
D016880:Anisotropy; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004867:Equipment Design; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology; D007259:Infrared Rays; D008422:Materials Testing; D008670:Metals / Q000737:chemistry*; D008872:Microwaves; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D055100:Optical Fibers; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared / Q000379:methods; D020349:Surface Plasmon Resonance; D013499:Surface Properties
D008670:Metals; D002245:Carbon Dioxide