title: Highly-efficient coupling of linearly- and radially-polarized femtosecond pulses in hollow-core photonic band-gap fibers.
abstract: We demonstrate extremely efficient excitation of linearly-, radially-, and azimuthally-polarized modes in a hollow-core photonic band-gap fiber with femtosecond laser pulses. We achieve coupling efficiencies as high as 98% with linearly polarized input Gaussian beams and with high-power pulses we obtain peak intensities greater than 10(14) W/cm(2) inside and transmitted through the fiber. With radially polarized pulses, we achieve 91% total transmission through the fiber while maintaining the polarization state. Alternatively with azimuthally-polarized pulses, the mode is degraded in the fiber, and the pure polarization state is not maintained.
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel. ishaaya@ee.bgu.ac.il
authors.forename: Amiel A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Ishaaya
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Hensley
authors.forename: Bonggu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shim
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schrauth
authors.forename: Karl W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.forename: Alexander L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Gaeta