System and method for optically driven separations using fluid filled core optical fibers

US8552363B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Cornell University · IT

Inventors

• David Erickson · Philomath, US
• Sudeep Mandal · Bengaluru, IN

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 23, 2008
• Grant date: Oct 8, 2013
• Expiry date: May 14, 2029

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G02B6/02385
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An optical chromatography system employs fluid filled hollow core fibers, such as photonic crystal fibers (PCFs), which confine an incident optical beam from a laser, for example, in the core and cause separation of particles in the fluid along the length of the PCF. The incident optical beam is confined in the fluid filled core of the PCF by a periodic lattice of air capillaries surrounding the core. The lattice either creates a lower refractive index in the cladding than in the fluid filled core or creates a 1D photonic bandgap structure where the guiding is accomplished by surrounding the fluid filled core with a periodically changing array of dielectric constant which prohibits radial dilution of the optical energy over a range of wavelengths through photonic bandgap effects.