| CPC G02B 6/032 (2013.01) [C03B 37/0122 (2013.01); C03B 37/0256 (2013.01); G02B 6/02328 (2013.01); G02B 6/02371 (2013.01); C03B 2203/16 (2013.01); G02B 6/036 (2013.01)] | 17 Claims |

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1. An optical fiber comprising:
a cladding structure extending along a fiber length providing a hollow interior fiber region; and
a plurality of anti-resonant (AR) elements formed as walled structures with walls extending along the fiber length, wherein the plurality of AR elements is configured to guide light along the fiber length in a central portion of the hollow interior fiber region based on optical anti-resonance, wherein the plurality of AR elements includes at least one nested set of AR elements comprising:
a first AR element formed as a wall extending along the fiber length and located entirely within the hollow interior fiber region, wherein the wall of the first AR element, in a cross-sectional plane orthogonal to the fiber length, fully surrounds an interior region and further has a non-uniform thickness profile between the first interior region and an outer perimeter of the first AR element, wherein the non-uniform thickness profile forms a support structure with a solid shape in the cross-sectional plane; and
a second AR element located within the interior region of the first AR element and exclusively in contact with the support structure.
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