Novel properties of silica-air microstructured fibers

Summary form only given. Microstructured optical fibers differ significantly from conventional waveguides in that they exhibit properties that cannot be obtained from standard fibers. These unique properties are created by voids, running the length of the fiber, which produce large index differences or regions in which controllable materials can be inserted. In this paper we discuss the properties of a variety of microstructured fibers for lasers and amplifiers applications as well as possible future directions and applications of microstructured fibers.