arXiv subjects

Robbie Mears

Publications and source records attributed to Robbie Mears.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Low Spontaneous Brillouin Scattering in Anti-Resonant Hollow-Core Fibers in GHz Frequency Range

Brillouin light scattering (BLS) is a powerful experimental tool that can be used to get insights into the fundamental and applied properties of matter, like dispersions of quasiparticles in a solid, as well as their spatio-temporal dynamics. Many applications of light scattering favor the use of optical fibers in place of free-space optics. In this work, we compare the performance of anti-resonant hollow core fibers to that of conventional solid core fused silica fibers for BLS experiments in the GHz frequency range. Conventional fibers are barely suitable for low-noise measurements because of the spontaneous scattering of the photons on various phononic modes present in the core and cladding. In the case of the hollow-core fiber, we identify a range of discrete phononic modes and associate them with the various acoustic modes of the structure surrounding the hollow core using finite-element numerical simulations. The measured relative intensity of the spontaneous BLS signal from these modes is orders of magnitude smaller than that of a solid-core fiber, making anti-resonant hollow-core fibers one of the best solutions for the single-mode light guidance for BLS and potentially other low-noise photonic experiments.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Tunable megawatt-scale sub-20 fs visible pulses from a fiber laser source

Ultrafast laser pulses that are both tunable in wavelength and very short in duration are essential tools in fields ranging from biomedical imaging to ultrafast spectroscopy. While resonant dispersive-wave emission in gas-filled hollow-core fibers is a powerful technique for generating such pulses, it has traditionally required complex and expensive pump laser systems. In this work, we present a more compact and accessible alternative that combines gain-managed nonlinear amplification with resonant dispersive-wave emission. Our system produces sub-20 femtosecond pulses tunable from 400 nm to beyond 700 nm, with energies up to 39 nJ and peak powers exceeding 2 MW, operating at a 4.8 MHz repetition rate. This compact and efficient laser source opens new avenues for deploying resonant dispersive-wave-based technologies for broader scientific and industrial applications.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2025

Highly multi-mode anti-resonant hollow core fibres

We report the characterisation of anti-resonant hollow core optical fibres guiding at least 50 spatial modes in the infrared. Their propagation losses were measured to be between 0.1 and 0.2 dB/m from 1000 to 1500 nm wavelength, with bend losses of less than 3 dB/turn for bend radii of 7.5 cm despite core radii greater than 60 times the guided wavelengths.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2024

Resonance-free deep ultraviolet to near infrared supercontinuum generation in a hollow-core antiresonant fibre

Supercontinuum generation in the ultraviolet spectral region is challenging in solid-core optical fibres due to solarization and photodarkening. Antiresonant hollow-core fibres have overcome this limitation and have been shown to guide ultraviolet light at sufficient intensity for ultraviolet spectral broadening through nonlinear optics in the filling gas. However, their ultraviolet guidance is usually limited by discontinuities caused by the presence of high-loss resonance bands. In this paper, we report on resonance-free supercontinuum generation spanning from the deep ultraviolet to the near infrared achieved through modulation instability in an argon-filled antiresonant hollow-core fibre. The fibre was directly fabricated using the stack-and-draw method with a wall thickness of approximately 90 nm, enabling continuous spectral coverage from the deep ultraviolet to the near infrared. We also report numerical simulations to investigate the supercontinuum bandwidth and the factors limiting it, finding that the overall dispersion landscape, and associated group-velocity matching of cross-phase modulation interactions, is the dominant constraint on spectral extension.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2024

Multi-core anti-resonant hollow core fibre

We report the fabrication and characterisation of a multi-core anti-resonant hollow core fibre with low inter-core coupling. The optical losses were 0.03 and 0.08 dB/m at 620 and 1000 nm respectively, while the novel structure provides new insights into hollow core fibre design and fabrication.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2024

Optical absorption spectrum reveals gaseous chlorine in anti-resonant hollow core fibres

We have observed unexpected spectral attenuation of ultraviolet light in freshly drawn hollow core optical fibres. When the fibre ends are left open to atmosphere, this loss feature dissipates over time. The loss matches the absorption spectrum of gaseous (molecular) chlorine and, given enough time, the transmission spectrum of the fibre recovers to that expected from the morphological structure of the fibre. Our measurements indicate an initial chlorine concentration of 0.45 $\mu$ mol/cm$^{3}$ in the hollow core, equivalent to 1.1 mol% Cl$_{2}$ at atmospheric pressure.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2023

Guidance of ultraviolet light down to 190 nm in a hollow-core optical fibre

We report an anti-resonant hollow core fibre with ultraviolet transmission down to 190 nm, covering the entire UV-A, UV-B and much of the UV-C band. Guidance from 190 - 400 nm is achieved apart for a narrow high loss resonance band at 245 - 265 nm. The minimum attenuation is 0.13 dB/m at 235 nm and 0.16 dB/m at 325 nm. With an inscribed core diameter of ~ 12 $\mu$m, the fibre's bend loss at 325 nm was 0.22 dB per turn for a bend radius of 3 cm at 325 nm.

physics.optics↗