Ultra-broadband 3-dB coupler based on dual-hollow-core polymer fiber covering E + S + C + L + U band.

An ultra-broadband 3-dB coupler based on a polymer dual-hollow-core anti-resonant fiber (DHC-ARF) is designed to work in the E + S + C + L + U communication band. By incorporating two elliptical-like cores and modulating the air gap between the two cores, the wavelength and polarization dependence of the DHC-ARF-based coupler is reduced effectively. The feasibility of using a 1.46 cm long DHC-ARF as the ultra-broadband coupler for the operating bandwidth of 400 nm in the range between 1.33 µm and 1.73 µm is demonstrated theoretically. The coupling ratio of each polarized mode stabilizes at 50 ± 2% and the coupling ratio difference between the two polarized modes changes within ±0.6%. This DHC-ARF coupler which is made of a polymer can be fabricated by high-resolution 3D printing. Compared to a silica-based DHC-ARF coupler, the polymer-based DHC-ARF coupler is easier to manufacture and the total loss of the latter is only 0.041 ± 0.006 dB in the operating bandwidth. The polymer hollow-core fiber coupler boasting an ultra-broadband, short component length, and low loss is very promising in next-generation, high-speed, and large-capacity hollow-core fiber communication systems.

Machine-learning-assisted omnidirectional bending sensor based on a cascaded asymmetric dual-core PCF sensor.

An omnidirectional bending sensor comprising cascaded asymmetric dual-core photonic crystal fibers (ADCPCFs) is designed and demonstrated experimentally. Upon cascading and splicing two ADCPCFs at a lateral rotation angle, the transmission spectrum of the sensor becomes highly dependent on the bending direction. Machine learning (ML) is employed to predict the curvature and bending orientation of the bending sensor for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. The experimental results demonstrate that the ADCPCF sensor used in combination with machine learning can predict the curvature and omnidirectional bending orientation within 360° without requiring any post-processing fabrication steps. The prediction accuracy is 99.85% with a mean absolute error (MAE) of 2.7° for bending direction measurement and 98.08% with an MAE of 0.03 m-1 for the curvature measurement. This promising strategy utilizes the global features (full spectra) in combination with machine learning to overcome the dependence of the sensor on high-quality transmission spectra, the wavelength range, and a special wavelength dip in the conventional dip tracking method. This excellent omnidirectional bending sensor has large potential for structural health monitoring, robotic arms, medical instruments, and wearable devices.

Compact single-polarization coupler based on a dual-hollow-core anti-resonant fiber.

A compact single-polarization (SP) coupler based on a dual-hollow-core anti-resonant fiber (DHC-ARF) is proposed. By introducing a pair of thick-wall tubes into a ten-tube single-ring hollow-core anti-resonant fiber, the core is separated into two cores to form the DHC-ARF. More importantly, by introducing the thick-wall tubes, dielectric modes in the thick wall are excited to inhibit the mode-coupling of secondary eigen-state of polarization (ESOP) between two cores while the mode-coupling of the primary ESOP can be enhanced, and thus the coupling length (Lc) of the secondary ESOP is greatly increased and that of primary ESOP is reduced to several millimeters. Simulation results show that the Lc of the secondary ESOP is up to 5549.26 mm and one of the primary ESOP is only 3.12 mm at 1550 nm through optimizing fiber structure parameters. By using a 1.53-mm-long DHC-ARF, a compact SP coupler can be implemented with a polarization extinction ratio (PER) less than - 20 dB within the wavelength range from 1547 nm to 1551.4 nm, and the lowest PER of - 64.12 dB is achieved at 1550 nm. Its coupling ratio (CR) is stable within 50 ± 2% in the wavelength range from 1547.6 nm to 1551.4 nm. The novel compact SP coupler provides a reference for developing HCF-based polarization-dependent components for use in the high-precision miniaturized resonant fiber optic gyroscope.

Hybrid structure polarization-maintaining hollow-core photonic bandgap fiber with anti-resonant tubes and silicon layers.

A novel-hybrid structure polarization-maintaining 19-cell hollow-core photonic bandgap fiber (HC-PBGF) is proposed. Robust single-mode characteristic is achieved by introducing six anti-resonant tubes into the core of 19-cell HC-PBGF. A high birefringence at the level of 10-3 is achieved by adding silicon layers into the y-direction tubes. The higher-order mode extinction ratio (HOMER) is greater than 4.71 × 107, and the high birefringence can be improved to 5 × 10-3. In the waveband from 1530 nm to 1595 nm, the single-mode, high birefringence performance can be effectively maintained even under a tight bending radius of 5 mm.

Single-ring hollow-core anti-resonant fiber with a record low loss (4.3†dB/km) for high-power laser delivery at 1†µm.

We report a 7-tube single-ring hollow-core anti-resonant fiber (SR-ARF) with a record low transmission loss of 4.3 dB/km @1080 nm, which is almost half of the current lowest loss record of an SR-ARF (7.7 dB/km @750 nm). The 7-tube SR-ARF has a large core diameter of 43 µm and a wide low-loss transmission window exceeding 270 nm for the 3-dB bandwidth. Moreover, it exhibits an excellent beam quality with an M2 factor of 1.05 after 10-m-long transmission. The robust single-mode operation, ultralow loss, and wide bandwidth make the fiber an ideal candidate for short-distance Yb and Nd:YAG high-power laser delivery.

Ultrawide bandwidth single-mode polarization beam splitter based on dual-hollow-core antiresonant fiber.

An ultrawide bandwidth and single-mode polarization beam splitter (PBS) based on an air-gap type of dual-hollow-core antiresonant fiber (DHC-ARF) is proposed. Nested tubes are introduced into two cladding tubes between two cores to weaken the wavelength dependence of coupling length in DHC-ARF for obtaining ultrawide bandwidth. By tuning the cladding tube sizes, higher-order core modes with the lowest loss can be coupled with cladding tube modes, and thus, effectively, single-mode operation is achieved. Numerical results demonstrate that an 8.15 cm long DHC-ARF can be used to develop a PBS with an operating bandwidth of 370 nm ranging from 1.28 to 1.65 µm, where a polarization extinction ratio is below -20dB and a high-order mode extinction ratio exceeds 100.

Large-mode-area all-solid anti-resonant fiber with single-mode operation for high-power fiber lasers.

We investigate the feasibility of applying an anti-resonant guiding mechanism in an all-solid anti-resonant fiber (AS-ARF) to achieve a large mode area (LMA) and single mode for high-power fiber laser applications. A novel, to the best of our knowledge, AS-ARF with nonuniform rods is proposed to enhance the single-mode property and enlarge the mode area. The numerical results show that the core diameter can expand to 57, 80, and 100 µm at the wavelengths of 1.064, 1.55, and 2 µm, respectively. The loss ratio of the lowest loss of higher-order modes to the loss of the fundamental mode can exceed 1000, 550, and 860 at the wavelength of 1.064, 1.55, and 2 µm; thus, robust single-mode operation can be ensured. Besides, the fiber can also be adapted to bent condition under certain heat load. These indicate that the proposed AS-ARF with nonuniform rods is a great candidate as an LMA fiber for high-power fiber lasers.

Design of a large-mode-area pixeled leakage channel fiber with an ultrahigh loss ratio for 2 µm operation.

A novel bend-resistant large mode area fiber with pixeled structure and leakage channel is proposed for application with a tight bend radius at the 2 µm wavelength region. Two layers of discontinuous fluorine-doped silica rods, which are called pixels, are introduced in the cladding. By removing four pixels, the loss of high-order modes is enhanced significantly due to the leakage channel. Bend properties of the fiber are investigated thoroughly by numerical simulations. As a result, a robust single-mode operation is obtained with an ultrahigh loss ratio (the minimum loss of high-order modes to the loss of fundamental mode) exceeding 3×105 when the fiber is bent with a tight radius as 10 cm. The effective mode area can reach 1764µm2. In addition, the fiber can keep high performance within a broad waveband from 1.75 to 2.15 µm. Large mode area and robust single-mode operation with a tight bend radius make this fiber beneficial to the development of 2 µm miniaturized fiber lasers.