Chiral Fibers: Microformed Optical Waveguides for Polarization Control, Sensing, Coupling, Amplification, and Switching

Microformed optical waveguides, made by tapering and/or twisting fibers as they are passed through a miniature heat zone, possess unique properties that may be exploited for polarization control, harsh-environment sensing, dense multichannel coupling, spatial division multiplexing, amplification, and optical switching.