Loss of common polymers used for microstructured polymer fibres in the (a) visible, (b) near infrared, and (c) THz frequency parts of the spectrum; data were extracted from references as shown. The different values given for HDPE and PTFE in (c) are attributed to different grades of polymer. The standard POF operation wavelength of 650 nm is indicated in (a) and (b). The low loss of PMMA at short wavelengths in (a) may be misleading, as those wavelengths are susceptible to scattering losses, as seen in Figure 8.