An optical element is provided. The optical element may comprise a material, the material being a matrix and a set of particles included in the matrix, the material having a molar fraction of SiO.sub.2 higher than or equal to 65 percent, each particle having a dimension smaller than or equal to 80 nanometers.

A method includes drawing a fiber from a set of substances that includes an elastomer having a first thermal expansion coefficient. The set of substances also includes a glassy polymer having a second thermal expansion coefficient that is higher than the first thermal expansion coefficient. The method also includes extending and then releasing, under ambient temperature conditions, the fiber to increase elastic responsiveness of the fiber to thermal actuation.

A hybrid mid-infrared-light transmitting glass fiber comprising a non-oxide infrared-light transmitting glass core, non-oxide glass inner cladding, and an oxide glass external cladding. In certain embodiments, the hybrid mid-infrared transmitting glass fiber is configured as a single mode fiber at a specific wavelength. In certain embodiments, the hybrid mid-infrared-light transmitting glass fiber is configured a polarization maintaining single mode fiber at a chosen specific wavelength.

An optical system comprising: an optical assembly having a first optical surface and a rear optical surface, said optical assembly comprising at least three optical elements; an optical fiber comprising a core portion with a mode field diameter (MFD) expanded region optically coupled to the rear optical surface of the optical assembly, the optical fiber comprising a core region doped with chlorine in a concentration greater than 0.5 wt %, wherein the MFD expanded region is less than 5 cm in length, and has MFD at the fiber end coupled to the optical assembly that is a least 20% greater than the MFD at other end of the optical fiber; an optical signal source coupled to first optical surface of the optical assembly, such that the optical signal provided by the optical signal source is routed along an optical path formed by the optical assembly to the mode field diameter expanded region of said optical fiber.

A composition for producing a glass fiber, including the following components with corresponding percentage amounts by weight: SiO.sub.2: 57.4-60.9%; Al.sub.2O.sub.3: greater than 17% and less than or equal to 19.8%; MgO: greater than 9% and less than or equal to 12.8%; CaO: 6.4-11.8%; SrO: 0-1.6%; Na.sub.2O+K.sub.2O: 0.1-1.1%; Fe.sub.2O.sub.3: 0.05-1%; TiO.sub.2: lower than 0.8%; and SiO.sub.2+Al.sub.2O.sub.3: lower than or equal to 79.4%. The total weight percentage of the above components in the composition is greater than 99%. The weight percentage ratio of Al.sub.2O.sub.3+MgO to SiO.sub.2 is between 0.43 and 0.56, and the weight percentage ratio of CaO+MgO to SiO.sub.2+Al.sub.2O.sub.3 is greater than 0.205. The composition can significantly increase the glass modulus, effectively reduce the glass crystallization rate, secure a desirable temperature range (T) for fiber formation and enhance the refinement of molten glass, thus making it particularly suitable for high performance glass fiber production with refractory-lined furnaces.

The invention relates to a method and device for fiber optic temperature measurement. The invention also relates to a multimode quartz glass fiber with nanocomposite (NK) containing a polymer and quantum dots (QDs) and its manufacture. These are based on temperature-dependent emission of quantum dots on the surface of optical fibers.

A method includes drawing a fiber from a set of substances that includes an elastomer having a first thermal expansion coefficient. The set of substances also includes a glassy polymer having a second thermal expansion coefficient that is higher than the first thermal expansion coefficient. The method also includes extending and then releasing, under ambient temperature conditions, the fiber to increase elastic responsiveness of the fiber to thermal actuation.

Multimode optical fibers are disclosed herein. In some embodiment disclosed herein, a multimode optical fiber having a bandwidth of greater than 2 GHz.Math.km includes: a glass matrix having a front endface, a back endface, a length (L), a refractive index n.sub.20 and a central axis (AC); and a plurality of cores arranged within the glass matrix, wherein the plurality of cores run generally parallel to the central axis between the front and back endfaces and having respective refractive indices n.sub.50, wherein n.sub.50>n.sub.20, wherein the glass matrix serves as a common cladding for the plurality of cores so that each core and the common cladding define a waveguide, wherein each core is a single mode at an operating wavelength; and wherein any two cores have an center-to-center spacing s of 3 m to 20 m and a coupling coefficient of greater than 10 m.sup.1 but less than 200 m.sup.1.

In an FOP 1, a glass body 8 is configured by including antimicrobial glass portions 10 made of antimicrobial glass containing Ag.sub.2O. Here, the glass containing silver does not have chemical durability, so that it has properties to easily emit Ag ions due to moisture. Ag ions have an excellent antimicrobial effect. Therefore, by configuring the glass body 8 to include the antimicrobial glass portions 10 containing Ag.sub.2O, the glass body 8 can obtain a sterilization effect due to the action of Ag ions. Therefore, the FOP 1 can be provided with antimicrobial activities.

A Photonic Crystal Fiber (PCF) a method of its production and a supercontinuum light source comprising such PCF. The PCF has a longitudinal axis and includes a core extending along the length of said longitudinal axis and a cladding region surrounding the core. At least the cladding region includes a plurality of microstructures in the form of inclusions extending along the longitudinal axis of the PCF in at least a microstructured length section. In at least a degradation resistant length section of the microstructured length section the PCF includes hydrogen and/or deuterium. In at least the degradation resistant length section the PCF further includes a main coating surrounding the cladding region, which main coating is hermetic for the hydrogen and/or deuterium at a temperature below T.sub.h, wherein T.sub.h is at least about 50 C., preferably 50 C.<T.sub.h<250 C.