Enhancing Single-Mode Characteristics and Reducing Confinement Loss in Liquid-Core Anti-Resonant Fibers via Selective Filling and Geometrical Optimization

The liquid-core anti-resonant fiber (LCARF) has emerged as a versatile platform for applications in nonlinear photonics, biological sensing, and other domains. In this study, a systematic and comprehensive analysis of LCARF was conducted via the finite element method to evaluate its performance across a wavelength range of 400-1200 nm. This included an assessment of the effects of structural parameters such as capillary wall thickness and the ratio of cladding tube diameter to core diameter on confinement loss and effective refractive index. The results reveal that the proposed core-only-filled approach significantly reduces the confinement loss compared to the conventional fully filled approach, thus facilitating signal transmission. Furthermore, the optimization of geometrical parameters greatly improves the single-mode characteristics of LCARFs. This work establishes a robust theoretical framework and provides valuable support for enhancing the LCARF applications in optofluidics, thereby contributing to the evolution of specialty fiber technologies.