Properties of liquid filled photonic crystal fibers

We report on investigations of photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) filled with different refractive index fluids which is a promising technique for dynamically changing the fundamental waveguide characteristics like the dispersion or cut-off wavelength. Due to the strongly temperature dependent refractive index of fluids it is possible to vary these parameters by changing the temperature. Furthermore, an anti-resonant guiding mechanism can be achieved for refractive indices higher than that of fused silica. We will give an overview of the fiber properties by means of finite element simulations and show possible applications like tunable zero-dispersion wavelength and switching behaviour.