Golden spiral photonic crystal fiber: polarization and dispersion properties.

A golden spiral photonic crystal fiber (GS-PCF) design is presented in which air holes are arranged in a spiral pattern governed by the golden ratio, where the design has been inspired by the optimal arrangement of seeds found in nature. The birefringence and polarization properties of this fiber are analyzed using a vectorial finite-element method. The fiber that is investigated shows a large modal birefringence peak value of 0.016 at an operating wavelength of 1.55 microm and exhibits highly tuneable dispersion with multiple zero dispersion wavelengths and also large normal dispersion. The GS-PCF design has identical circular air holes that potentially simplify fabrication. In light of its properties, the GS-PCF could have application as a highly birefringent fiber and in nonlinear optics, and moreover the 2D chiral nature of the pattern could yield exotic properties.