Supercontinuum generation in photonic-molecule modes of microstructure fibers

Supercontinuum generation in microstructure fibers with a core in the form of a cyclic polyatomic photonic molecule is studied. Air holes arranged in a two-dimensional holey structure in the cladding of this fiber and a larger hole at the center of the fiber form a cyclic-molecule-like structure, consisting of an array of small-diameter glass channels linked by narrow bridges, around the central hole. This photonic-molecule microstructure-integrated bundle of fibers can guide the light through total internal reflection, providing a very high light confinement degree due to the large refractive index step. The properties of supercontinuum emission produced in such fibers can be controlled by coupling the energy of femtosecond light pulses into different photonic-molecule modes of the fiber