Hollow dielectric waveguide for distributed feedback lasers

Hollow dielectric waveguides with gas-filled core and a dielectric tube seem promising as laser structures. The tube fulfills the dual role of a guidance structure for the electromagnetic radiation as well as that of a container for the plasma of the gas laser. Feedback for laser oscillation is achieved by providing coupling between forward- and backward-traveling modes by means of periodic ripples of the inner surface of the hollow dielectric tube. This paper is devoted to the derivation of the coupling coefficients between two guided modes that are coupled by ripples in the tube wall. The calculation is based on the model of a slab waveguide. Expressions for the leaky-mode losses and the scattering losses inevitably introduced by the coupling mechanism are also presented.