Microstructure optical fibers for a new generation of fiber-optic sources and converters of light pulses

Breakthroughs in microstructure-fiber technologies are pushing the development of a new class of fiber-optic frequency converters, broadband light sources, and short-pulse lasers. The frequency profile of dispersion and the spatial profile of electromagnetic field distribution in waveguide modes of microstructure fibers can be tailored by modifying the core and cladding design on a micro- and nanoscale, suggesting ways of creating novel fiber-optic devices providing the highly efficient spectral and temporal transformation of laser pulses with pulse widths ranging from dozens of nanoseconds to a few optical cycles (several femtoseconds) within a broad range of peak powers from hundreds of watts to several gigawatts. In new fiber lasers, microstructure fibers provide a precise balance of dispersion within a broad spectral range, allowing the creation of compact all-fiber sources of high-power ultrashort light pulses.