Cascaded terahertz hollow-core Bragg waveguide: numerical design and experimental demonstration

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Materials Science
• Terahertz Technology

Background:

• Terahertz (THz) waveguides are crucial for THz applications.
• Conventional Bragg waveguides suffer from high transmission losses due to support structures.
• Minimizing losses in THz hollow-core waveguides is an ongoing challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and numerically analyze a novel THz hollow-core Bragg waveguide design.
• To investigate the impact of discontinuous support bridges on waveguide performance.
• To experimentally validate the proposed waveguide's transmission loss characteristics.

Main Methods:

• Numerical simulations were performed to evaluate transmission loss.
• A novel hollow-core Bragg waveguide with discontinuous radial and axial support bridges was designed.
• The waveguide was fabricated using 3D printing technology.
• Experimental measurements were conducted to determine transmission loss.

Main Results:

• The proposed waveguide demonstrated confinement loss two orders of magnitude lower than conventional designs.
• Numerical and experimental results for transmission loss showed good agreement.
• Material absorption was identified as the dominant factor limiting transmission loss in the fabricated sample.

Conclusions:

• Discontinuous support bridges are effective in reducing confinement loss in THz hollow-core Bragg waveguides.
• 3D printing is a viable fabrication method for such waveguides.
• Future improvements in THz waveguide performance depend on utilizing low-loss materials.