We report the fabrication of what are believed to be the first microstructured optical fibers with uniformly oriented elliptical holes. A high degree of hole ellipticity is achieved with a simple technique that relies on hole deformation during fiber draw. Both form and stress-optic birefringence are characterized over a broad wavelength range. These measurements are in excellent agreement with numerical modeling and demonstrate a birefringence as high as 1.0 x 10(-4) at a wavelength of 850 nm.
A short linear cavity erbium fiber laser is adapted to become a Q-switched laser by using a new and simple loss switching technique. The technique utilizes the inherent flexibility of optical fiber to rapidly drive the fiber end in and out of alignment with a cavity mirror, creating the conditions necessary for Q-switching. We investigate the effectiveness of different Q-switch configurations and analyze the Q-switch opening time of each configuration.
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