Bragg scattering from an obliquely illuminated photonic crystal fiber

Scattering at visible frequencies from a two-dimensional silica/air photonic crystal material in the form of a fine fiber reveals the hexagonal crystal structure of the material. Oblique illumination allows the observation of first-order Bragg conditions even for a crystal structure with a pitch several times the wavelength of light. These scattering measurements demonstrate the feasibility of a low-loss waveguide based on photonic bandgap effects.