Propagation characteristics of a segmented cladding fiber

We propose a novel optical fiber design that consists of a uniform core and a segmented cladding formed by alternate regions of high and low refractiv e indices in the azimuthal direction. The structure is analyzed by use of t he radial effective-index method, and the propagation characteristics of th e structure are studied. The fiber has a highly dispersive cladding and sho ws characteristics similar to those of photonic-crystal fibers and holey fi bers. The novel fiber offers the possibility of single-mode operation over a wide range of wavelengths with a large core diameter. (C) 2001 Optical So ciety of America.