An optical fiber comprising: (i) a core region comprising an outer radius r.sub.1, and 3.0r.sub.17.0 microns and a relative refractive index .sub.1max and 0.32%.sub.1max0.5%; (b) a depressed index cladding region surrounding the core region comprising an outer radius r.sub.3 and a relative refractive index .sub.3 less than 0.2%, and trench volume V.sub.3 wherein 45% -micron.sup.2|V.sub.3|200% -micron.sup.2; (c) a first outer cladding region surrounding the depressed index cladding region and comprising a relative refractive index .sub.4 and an outer radius r.sub.4; and (d) a second outer cladding layer comprising 5 wt %-20 wt % titania, a relative refractive index .sub.5, and a thickness T.sub.M, wherein 3 micronT.sub.M30 microns, and outer radius r.sub.565 microns; the optical fiber has a mode field diameter MFD.sub.1550 and 8 micronsMFD.sub.155010.5 microns, a cutoff wavelength 1550 nm when bent 1 turn around a 2.5 mm radius mandrel, and a bending loss at 1550 nm when using a mandrel comprising a radius of 2.5 mm of 1.0 dB/turn.

A traceable cable includes at least one data transmission element, a jacket at least partially surrounding the at least one data transmission element, and a tracing optical fiber incorporated with and extending along a length (l) of the cable. The tracing optical fiber includes a core having a first index of refraction and a cladding having a second index of refraction less than the first index of refraction, with the cladding substantially surrounding the core. The tracing optical fiber also includes periodically spaced apart scattering sites spaced along the optical fiber at a spacing ratio of n sites per meter, wherein each scattering site is configured to scatter no more than about 1/(n*1) times optical power provided to the tracing optical fiber. Related systems and methods are also disclosed.

A method of making a microstructured optical fiber comprising loading the core and cladding materials of the fiber with hydrogen and deuterium at a loading temperature; annealing the fiber at a selected temperature T.sub.anneal; pumping the fiber with radiation; and reducing the temperature of the fiber and storing the fiber at the reduced temperature before the step of pumping the fiber; and wherein the method allows the hydrogen and the deuterium to become bound to the core material and the cladding material.

An optical fiber with ultra-low attenuation and large effective-area includes a core layer and cladding layers. The cladding layers have an inner cladding layer surrounding the core layer, a trench cladding layer surrounding the inner cladding layer, an auxiliary outer cladding layer surrounding the trench cladding layer, and an outer cladding layer surrounding the auxiliary outer cladding layer. The core layer has a radius of 4.8-6.5 m, and a relative refractive index difference of 0.06% to 0.10%. The inner cladding layer has a radius of 9-15 m, and a relative refractive index difference of about 0.40% to 0.15%. The trench cladding layer has a radius of about 12-17 m, and a relative refractive index difference of about 0.8% to 0.3%. The auxiliary outer cladding layer has a radius of about 37-50 m, and a relative refractive index difference of about 0.6% to 0.25%. The outer cladding layer is a pure silicon-dioxide glass layer.

An optical fiber comprising: (i) a core region comprising an outer radius r.sub.1, and 3.0r.sub.17.0 microns and a relative refractive index .sub.1max and 0.32%.sub.1max0.5%; (b) a depressed index cladding region surrounding the core region comprising an outer radius r.sub.3 and a relative refractive index .sub.3 less than 0.2%, and trench volume V.sub.3 wherein 45% -micron.sup.2|V.sub.3|200% -micron.sup.2; (c) a first outer cladding region surrounding the depressed index cladding region and comprising a relative refractive index .sub.4 and an outer radius r.sub.4; and (d) a second outer cladding layer comprising 5 wt %-20 wt % titania, a relative refractive index .sub.5, and a thickness T.sub.M, wherein 3 micronT.sub.M30 microns, and outer radius r.sub.565 microns; the optical fiber has a mode field diameter MFD.sub.1550 and 8 micronsMFD.sub.155010.5 microns, a cutoff wavelength <1550 nm when bent 1 turn around a 2.5 mm radius mandrel, and a bending loss at 1550 nm when using a mandrel comprising a radius of 2.5 mm of 10 dB/turn.

The invention relates to a supercontinuum light source comprising a microstructured optical fiber and a pump light source. The microstructured optical fiber comprises a core and a cladding region surrounding the core, as well as a first fiber length section, a second fiber length section and an intermediate fiber length section between said first and second fiber length sections. The first fiber length section comprises a core with a first characteristic core diameter. The second fiber length section comprises a core with a second characteristic core diameter, smaller than said first characteristic core diameter, where said second characteristic core diameter is substantially constant along said second fiber length section. The intermediate length section of the optical fiber comprises a core which is tapered from said first characteristic core diameter to said second characteristic core diameter over a tapered length.

The present embodiment relates to a method of directly measuring a leakage loss from a peripheral core in a MCF with a coating to the coating. In the measurement method, in a high refractive-index state in which the coating is present on an outer periphery of a common cladding, first transmission power of measurement light, which propagates through the peripheral core of the MCF, is measured. On the other hand, in a low refractive-index state in which a low-refractive-index layer with a lower refractive index than the common cladding is provided on the outer periphery of the common cladding, second transmission power of the measurement light, which propagates through the peripheral core of the MCF, is measured. The leakage loss LL from the peripheral core to the coating is calculated as a difference between the first transmission power and the second transmission power.

An object is to provide a beam propagating method capable of satisfying desired output power and a desired propagation distance and a required condition of beam quality and a method of designing an optical fiber designing the structure of an optical fiber. According to the present invention, an effective core cross-sectional area A.sub.eff is calculated based on desired specification values and, by appropriately adjusting the structure of an optical fiber satisfying the effective core cross-sectional area and the number of modes to be propagated, the structure of the optical fiber is determined. In this way, by controlling the excitation ratio of a high-order mode at the time of coupling laser light in the optical fiber designed as above, light of high-output laser can be propagated a long distance with the beam quality maintained.

A method of making a microstructured optical fiber comprising loading the core and cladding materials of the fiber with hydrogen and deuterium at a loading temperature; annealing the fiber at a selected temperature T.sub.anneal; pumping the fiber with radiation; and reducing the temperature of the fiber and storing the fiber at the reduced temperature before the step of pumping the fiber; and wherein the method allows the hydrogen and the deuterium to become bound to the core material and the cladding material.

A supercontinuum light source includes a microstructured optical fiber, and a feeding unit arranged for feeding pump pulses to the microstructured optical fiber, wherein the feeding unit comprises a picosecond laser and one or more amplifiers, wherein the microstructured optical fiber is a silica fiber wherein at least a part of the core being of silica or doped silica, and including a core including core material and a cladding surrounding the core, and at least the core material is loaded with deuterium to have an OD absorption peak around 1870 nm, wherein the feeding unit is spliced to the microstructured optical fiber.