  We present waveguides with photonic crystal cores, supporting energy
propagation in subwavelength regions with a mode structure similar to that in
telecom fibers. We design meta-materials for near-, mid-, and far-IR
frequencies, and demonstrate efficient energy transfer to and from regions
smaller than 1/25-th of the wavelength. Both positive- and negative-refractive
index light transmissions are shown. Our approach, although demonstrated here
in circular waveguides for some specific frequencies, is easily scalable from
optical to IR to THz frequency ranges, and can be realized in a variety of
waveguide geometries. Our design may be used for ultra high-density energy
focusing, nm-resolution sensing, near-field microscopy, and high-speed
all-optical computing.
