Low-loss subwavelength plastic fiber for terahertz waveguiding

We report a simple subwavelength-diameter plastic wire, similar to an optical fiber, for guiding a terahertz wave with a low attenuation constant. With a large wavelength-to-fiber-core ratio, the fractional power delivered inside the lossy core is reduced, thus lowering the effective fiber attenuation constant. In our experiment we adopt a polyethylene fiber with a 200 Am diameter for guiding terahertz waves in the frequency range near 0.3 THz in which the attenuation constant is reduced to of the order of or less than 0.01 cm(-1). Direct free-space coupling efficiency as high as 20% can be achieved by use of an off-axis parabolic mirror. Furthermore, all the plastic wires are readily available, with no need for complex or expensive fabrication. (c) 2006 Optical Society of America.