Cylindrically periodic dielectric waveguide at submillimeter waves

In the terahertz band, the availability of dielectric materials for fabrication of long waveguides is very limited. The only viable candidate at the current time appears to be fused quartz which unfortunately has a relatively low dielectric constant. This limits the use of standard Brag fibers which rely on higher dielectric constants. To overcome this limitation, we have examined the possibility of using a small number of low dielectric constant layers in a periodic arrangement and enclosing the entire structure with a metalic boundary. This configuration results in a moderate loss waveguide. Future work will include the manufacture and testing of such structures and a study of the bend losses