Mid-IR Active Optical Fiber: Technology and Applications

Dear Colleagues,

Nowadays, optical fiber devices working in the middle-infrared (Mid-IR) range are becoming a topic of interest for academia and industry. Their promising applications in communication, imaging, environmental monitoring, sensing, medical diagnostics and therapy, defense, and material processing constitute only a part of the wide interest area. Indeed, the Mid-IR spectral region enables the vibrational bands of many molecules, this occurrence being particularly relevant for spectroscopic sensing and chemical identification.

In parallel, the development of Mid-IR optical fiber devices has experienced a rapid growth. These devices are crucial for the delivery, manipulation, and detection of Mid-IR light, enabling the integration of Mid-IR technologies into compact and efficient systems, as all-in-fiber systems. The design and fabrication of Mid-IR optical fibers present unique challenges. Thus, the exploration of alternative propagation media such as chalcogenide glasses, fluoride glasses, and crystalline materials has become a vibrant area of research.

This Special Issue aims to bring together recent advances in the design, fabrication, and application of Mid-IR optical fibers. It covers a broad spectrum of topics, including novel fiber materials, waveguiding section designs, fiber-based sensing systems, laser design and fabrication, and the integration of these fibers into actual systems for real-world applications. By highlighting these developments, we hope to shed light on the current state of Mid-IR fiber technology and inspire further research and innovation in this exciting field.

We invite researchers and industry experts to contribute original research articles, reviews, and perspectives that explore the latest technological advancements, challenges, and future directions in Mid-IR optical fiber devices.

Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Fiber sensors;
• Rare-earth (co-)doped fiber devices;
• Novel glasses and photonic materials;
• Nonlinear fiber devices;
• Mid-IR coherent light sources;
• All-in-fiber systems;
• Mid-IR sensing systems.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Antonella Maria Loconsole
Dr. Francesco Anelli
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Photonics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• middle-infrared (Mid-IR) range
• optical fibers
• chalcogenide glasses
• fluoride glasses
• hollow-core fibers
• waveguide design
• fiber sensors
• spectroscopic sensing
• fiber devices
• photonics