Hollow-core fibers featuring anti-resonant elements with engineered node thickness

An optical fiber comprising:

• a cladding structure extending along a fiber length providing a hollow interior fiber region;
• a first anti-resonant (AR) element and a second AR element distributed within the hollow interior fiber region, wherein the first AR element and the second AR element are formed as walled structures with one or more walls extending along the fiber length;
• and
• a third AR element and a fourth AR element located within an interior region of the first AR element bounded at least in part by the walls of the first AR element, wherein:
• the first AR element and the second AR element touch each other at a first intersection wall portion,
• the third AR element and the fourth AR element touch each other at a second intersection wall portion,
• the first intersection wall portion is engineered to have a first engineered thickness, and
• the second intersection wall portion is engineered to have a second engineered thickness.

A method for making an optical fiber comprising:

• providing a cladding structure extending along a fiber length providing a hollow interior fiber region;
• providing a first anti-resonant (AR) element and a second AR element distributed within the hollow interior fiber region, wherein:
• the first AR element and the second AR element are formed as walled structures with one or more walls extending along the fiber length, and
• the first AR element and the second AR element touch each other at an intersection wall portion;
• and
• engineering the intersection wall portion to have an engineered thickness.