Light transport and vortex-supported wave-guiding in micro-structured optical fibres

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that vortex formation in micro-structured optical fibers significantly reduces light leakage, enhancing wave-guiding efficiency through vortex-supported mechanisms similar to fluid dynamics phenomena.

Contribution

It reveals the formation of vortices in both solid and hollow core fibers and shows their role in drastically reducing light dissipation, a novel insight in optical waveguide design.

Findings

Vortices form at zero amplitude lines in fibers.

Vortices reduce light leakage by three orders of magnitude.

Strong light localization can be achieved in hollow core fibers.

Abstract

In hydrodynamics, vortex generation upon the transition from smooth laminar flows to turbulence is generally accompanied by increased dissipation. However, plane vortices can provide transport barriers and decrease losses, as it happens in numerous geophysical, astrophysical flows and in tokamaks. Photon interactions with matter can affectlight transportin waveguides in unexpected and somewhat counterintuitive ways resembling fluid dynamics. Here, we demonstrate dramatic impact of light vortex formation in micro-structured optical fibres on the energy dissipation. We show possibility of vortices formationin both solid core and hollow core fibres on the zero amplitude lines in the cladding. We find that vortices reduce light leakage by three orders of magnitude, effectively improving wave guiding. A strong light localization based on the same principle can also be achieved in the negative curvature hollow core fibres.