A method for producing a preform of an anti-resonant hollow-core fiber, which has a hollow core extending along a fiber longitudinal axis, and a cladding region surrounding the hollow core and includes at least one anti-resonance element. The method includes (a) providing a cladding tube having a cladding tube inner surface and a cladding tube outer surface, at least one anti-resonance element preform being arranged at the cladding tube inner surface, (b) providing an overlay tube including an overlay tube inner surface, the overlay tube having an inner diameter larger than an outer diameter of the cladding tube, (c) arranging the cladding tube inside the overlay tube, so that the overlay tube inner surface surrounds the cladding tube outer surface, and (d) adding the overlay tube to the cladding tube, so that the overlay tube inner surface connects to the cladding tube outer surface.

The invention relates to microstructured optical fibers that are drawn through hollow channels and have a core region, which extends along a fiber longitudinal axis, and a jacket region surrounding the core region. The aim of the invention is to reduce a damping increase due to corrosion and to reduce the emission of chlorine on the basis of the microstructured optical fibers. This is achieved in that at least some of the hollow channels are delimited by a wall material made of synthetic quartz glass which has a chlorine concentration of less than 300 wt. ppm and oxygen deficiency centers in a concentration of at least 21015 cm-3.

This application relates generally to an optical fiber for the delivery of infrared light where the polarization state of the light entering the fiber is preserved upon exiting the fiber and the related methods for making thereof. The optical fiber has a wavelength between about 0.9 m and 15 m, comprises at least one infrared-transmitting glass, and has a polarization-maintaining (PM) transverse cross-sectional structure. The infrared-transmitting, polarization-maintaining (IR-PM) optical fiber has a birefringence greater than 10.sup.5 and has applications in dual-use technologies including laser power delivery, sensing and imaging.

An optical fiber having an axial direction and a cross section perpendicular to the axial direction, and a method and preform for producing such an optical fiber. The optical fiber is adapted to guide light at a wavelength ?, and includes a core region, an inner cladding region surrounding said core region, and at least one of a first type of feature including a void and a surrounding first silica material. The core, the inner cladding region and the first type of feature extends along said axial direction over at least a part of the length of the optical fiber. The first silica material has a first chlorine concentration of about 300 ppm or less.

A method for producing a preform of an anti-resonant hollow-core fiber, comprising the method steps of a) providing a cladding tube, which has a cladding tube inner bore and a cladding tube longitudinal axis, along which a cladding tube wall extends, which is limited by an inner side and an outer side b) preparing a number of anti-resonance element preforms, which consist of several nested tubular structural elements, comprising an ARE outer tube and an ARE inner tube inserted therein, wherein the structural elements have a structural element longitudinal axis, c) arranging the anti-resonance element preforms on the inner side of the cladding tube wall, and d) thermal fixing of the anti-resonance element preforms to the cladding tube wall by means of heat input.

The invention relates to an anti-resonance ele-ment preform for producing an anti-resonant hollow-core fiber, in an axial top view comprising a circular first cir-cle element with a first circle radius and a circular arc-shaped first circular arc element with a first circular arc radius. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for producing an anti resonance element preform, a preform for producing an anti-resonant hollow-core fiber comprising at least one anti-resonance element preform and an anti-resonant hol-low-core fiber. According to the invention, it is provided that the first circle element and the first circular arc element are connected to one another at two contact points.

A hollow-core anti-resonant-reflecting fibre (HC-AF) includes a hollow-core region, an inner cladding region, and an outer cladding region. The hollow-core region axially extends along the HC-AF. The inner cladding region includes a plurality of anti-resonant elements (AREs) and surrounds the hollow-core region. The outer cladding region surrounds the inner cladding region. The hollow-core region and the plurality of AREs are configured to provide phase matching of higher order hollow-core modes and ARE modes in a broadband wavelength range.

A method of making an optical fibre preform comprising providing a hollow outer tube of glass, providing a hollow primary capillary tube of glass with an outer diameter smaller than an inner diameter of the outer tube, positioning the primary capillary tube inside the outer tube such that an outer surface of the primary capillary tube lies against an inner surface of the outer tube along a contact line parallel to the longitudinal axes of the primary capillary tube and the outer tube, and bonding the primary capillary tube into its position inside the outer tube by directing a laser beam onto a surface of the outer tube or the primary capillary at one or more locations aligned with the contact line.

An electromagnetic waveguide, such as an optical fibre, including a hollow central core surrounded by a microstructured sheath formed by an assembly of elementary cells, the microstructured sheath also including at least two elementary cells, at least one intermediate element connecting the elementary cells, the intermediate element having a cross-section with an area less than or equal to 50% of the cross-sectional area of each of the cells that it connects, the intermediate element having a refractive index less than or equal to the refractive index of each of the elementary cells that it connects.

The fabrication of sleeveless canes utilizes a preform with an array of glass canes in the preform. At least one tube-sleeve encircles the array of glass canes and is secured to the array of glass canes. The array of glass canes is moved into a furnace wherein the array of glass canes is heated. The furnace is maintained at a furnace temperature within the range of 2000 C. to 1700 C. and the array of glass canes is drawn from the furnace. The drawing of the array of glass canes both scales down the glass canes and elongates the glass canes. Maintaining the furnace at a furnace temperature within the range of 2000 C. to 1700 C. assures that the array of glass canes and the glass canes maintain their original shape.