Mid-IR supercontinuum generation in high numerical aperture chalcogenide fibers for environmental monitoring

The mid-IR wavelength range (3-50 μm), and the fundamental vibrational absorption fingerprint region it encompasses, can be utilised to address a variety of environmental and medical monitoring applications requiring the detection of specific covalently bonded molecules, for example, in atmosphere or in a patients breath. Mid-IR transmitting chalcogenide fibres, based on the elements: sulfur, selenium, and tellurium, have a characteristically high optical non-linearity and thus can be tailored to also generate mid-IR supercontinuum light.