Pulse dispersion in hollow optical waveguides

A study of laser (near- and mid-infrared) pulse dispersion in hollow waveguides is presented. We developed an analytical model to describe the pulse dispersion in hollow waveguides and compared our theoretical calculations with measurements done by us and also by two other groups. The pulse dispersion was experimentally measured for a short Q-switched Er:YAG laser in the nanosecond range and for femto-second Ti:sapphire laser pulses transmitted by hollow optical waveguides. For analytical calculation of the pulse dispersion in these waveguides, a refined ray tracing program was developed. This approach took into account roughness of the internal reflecting and refracting inner layers. A comparison analysis between the measurements and calculations conducted at identical parameters demonstrates good correlation between theoretical and experimental results.