Experiment demonstrates continuously operating optical fiber made of thin air

https://phys.org/news/2023-05-optical-fiber-thin-air.html

"auxiliary ultrashort laser pulses sculpt fiber optic 50m waveguides in air tens of ms... ring high-intensity light structures heat air extended ring low-density heated air surrounding central undisturbed structure optical fiber... unspooled and directed at light speed in any direction... increasing repetition waveguide-generating pulse up to 1000 Hz air waveguide continuously maintained heating and deepening waveguide faster than surrounding air can cool it... efficiency improves 3X at highest repetition rate"

Related: Team manages to dynamically control trions with a waveguide

https://phys.org/news/2023-05-team-dynamically-trions-waveguide.html