Multifocus tomographic algorithm for measuring optically thick specimens.

A novel tomographic algorithm for reconstructing the two-dimensional refractive index fluctuations of an optically thick phase object from one-dimensional projections acquired at a multiplicity of focal positions and a multiplicity of angular orientations is described. The new method is validated by measurements of multicore and microstructured optical fibers using interference microscopy. The method will benefit other transverse fiber measurement technologies and is broadly applicable to any tomographic reconstruction problem in which the transverse dimension of the specimen is substantially larger than the depth-of-field of the imaging system.

Optimum intermediate fibers for reducing interconnection loss: exact solution.

We derive an exact analytical solution for a transmission line of N single-mode intermediate optical fibers that minimize the interconnection loss between any two dissimilar fiber modes that are well described by that paraxial scalar wave equation. Our solution shows that N optimum intermediate fibers reduce the original interconnection loss by a factor of least 1/(N+1) and that the total interconnection loss is only a function of N and the original direct interconnection loss. Our solution is not restricted to axisymmetric fibers or mode fields and therefore could be useful for reducing the interconnection loss between microstructured optical fibers, between certain slab waveguides, or between fibers and optical sources or detectors.

Distributed fiber filter based on index-matched coupling between core and cladding.

A new type of fiber for distributed filtering is proposed, designed to have resonant coupling between core and cladding at desired wavelengths. Design principles are illustrated with simulations of several fibers. A filter fiber was fabricated following this design strategy. Measured transmission spectra and imaging of mode output confirm the expected resonant coupling between core and cladding near 1100nm.

Biological glass fibers: correlation between optical and structural properties.

Biological systems have, through the course of time, evolved unique solutions for complex optical problems. These solutions are often achieved through a sophisticated control of fine structural features. Here we present a detailed study of the optical properties of basalia spicules from the glass sponge Euplectella aspergillum and reconcile them with structural characteristics. We show these biosilica fibers to have a distinctive layered design with specific compositional variations in the glass/organic composite and a corresponding nonuniform refractive index profile with a high-index core and a low-index cladding. The spicules can function as single-mode, few-mode, or multimode fibers, with spines serving as illumination points along the spicule shaft. The presence of a lens-like structure at the end of the fiber increases its light-collecting efficiency. Although free-space coupling experiments emphasize the similarity of these spicules to commercial optical fibers, the absence of any birefringence, the presence of technologically inaccessible dopants in the fibers, and their improved mechanical properties highlight the advantages of the low-temperature synthesis used by biology to construct these remarkable structures.