Radiation-induced effects in a new class of optical waveguides: the air-guiding photonic crystal fibers

Transient radiation-induced effects in air-guiding photonic crystal fibers (Air-PCF) are investigated for the first time to our knowledge. We characterize the vulnerability of this kind of waveguide by measuring the time dependent changes of their radiation-induced attenuation (RIA) at 1.55 /spl mu/m. We compare their radiation response to those of two silica-based single-mode fibers with germanium-doped and pure-silica cores. An X-ray pulse induces globally the same effects in all waveguides: a strong and transient increase of RIA. For higher tested doses (10