Chiral in-fiber polarizer apparatus and method

A chiral polarizer for achieving polarization of incident light, comprising:

• an elongated chiral optical fiber being of a predetermined handedness, the chiral optical fiber having a first end, a second end, a core, having a core refractive index and a core size, disposed along said fiber's longitudinal axis, and a cladding, having a cladding refractive index and a cladding size, surrounding said core, said chiral optical fiber further having a predetermined pitch profile representative of a variation of a pitch P of said chiral optical fiber between said first end and said second end, wherein an inverse pitch is determined by an expression 1/P, wherein, in accordance with said predetermined pitch profile, said inverse pitch is substantially equal to zero at said second end, and wherein said inverse pitch is increased to at least one predetermined magnitude above zero in at least one region between said first and said second ends, such that the incident light entering said first end, exits as a first light component being linearly polarized in a first predetermined orientation within a desired predetermined spectral range, while a second light component of a second predetermined linear polarization orientation is substantially scattered.

A method for achieving polarization of incident light in a chiral polarizer, comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing an elongated chiral optical fiber being of a predetermined handedness, the chiral optical fiber having a first end, a second end, a core, having a core refractive index and a core size, disposed along said fiber's longitudinal axis, and a cladding, having a cladding refractive index and a cladding size, surrounding said core;
• and
• (b) selecting, configuring, and applying, to said chiral optical fiber, a predetermined pitch profile representative of a variation of a pitch P of said chiral optical fiber between said first end and said second end, wherein an inverse pitch is determined by an expression 1/P, wherein, in accordance with said predetermined pitch profile, said inverse pitch is substantially equal to zero at said second end, and wherein said inverse pitch is increased to at least one predetermined magnitude above zero in at least one region between said first and said second ends, such that the incident light entering said first end, exits as a first light component being linearly polarized in a first predetermined orientation within a desired predetermined spectral range, while a second light component of a second predetermined linear polarization orientation is substantially scattered.

A chiral polarizer for achieving polarization of incident light, comprising:

• an elongated chiral optical fiber being of a predetermined handedness, the chiral optical fiber having a first end, a second end, a core, having a core refractive index and a core size, disposed along said fiber's longitudinal axis, and a cladding, having a cladding refractive index and a cladding size, surrounding said core, said chiral optical fiber further having a predetermined pitch profile representative of a variation of a pitch P of said chiral optical fiber between said first end and said second end, wherein an inverse pitch is determined by an expression 1/P, wherein, in accordance with said predetermined pitch profile, a first inverse pitch at said first end is greater than a second inverse pitch at said second end, and wherein said inverse pitch is increased to at least one predetermined magnitude above zero in at least one region between said first and said second ends, such that the incident light entering said first end, exits as a first light component being elliptically polarized in a first predetermined orientation having a handedness opposite said structure handedness, within a desired predetermined spectral range, while a second light component of a second predetermined elliptical polarization orientation is substantially scattered.

A chiral polarizer for achieving polarization of incident light having a first and a second linearly polarized incident light components, comprising:

• an elongated chiral optical fiber being of a predetermined handedness, the chiral optical fiber having a first end, a second end, a core, having a core refractive index and a core size, disposed along said fiber's longitudinal axis, and a cladding, having a cladding refractive index and a cladding size, surrounding said core, said chiral optical fiber further having a predetermined pitch profile representative of a variation of a pitch P of said chiral optical fiber between said first end and said second end, wherein an inverse pitch is determined by an expression 1/P, wherein, in accordance with said predetermined pitch profile, said inverse pitch is substantially equal to zero at said first end, and wherein said inverse pitch is increased to at least one predetermined magnitude above zero in at least one region between said first and said second ends, such that the first linearly polarized incident light component entering said first end, exits as a first exit light component being elliptically polarized in a first predetermined orientation within a desired predetermined spectral range, while the second linear polarized incident light component is substantially scattered.