Hollow core photonic crystal fibers for beam delivery.

Hollow-core photonic crystal fibers have unusual properties which make them ideally suited to delivery of laser beams. We describe the properties of fibers with different core designs, and the observed effects of anti-crossings with interface modes. We conclude that 7-unit-cell cores are currently most suitable for transmission of femtosecond and sub-picosecond pulses, whereas larger cores (e.g. 19-cell cores) are better for delivering nanosecond pulsed and continuous-wave beams.