Optical devices based on tunable scattering material in air-silica microstructured fiber

Summary form only given. We present a new class of tunable optical devices based on the incorporation of scattering material into air-holes of an air-silica microstructured fiber. Previous examples of tunable guiding properties in optical fibers have relied on achieving bulk changes in the refractive index of infused material, such as polymer. In contrast, our devices rely on the use of a material whose refractive index varies spatially on a scale comparable to the light wavelength, thus giving rise to scattering. Our ability to adjust the magnitude of the scattering cross section offers a novel mechanism for manipulating light propagation in these fibers. We use polymer-dispersed liquid-crystal (PDLC) as the tunable scattering agent.