Abstract
We have investigated the influence of multimode fiber core (MMFC) diameters and lengths on the sensitivity of an SMS fiber based refractometer. We show that the MMFC diameter has significant influence on the refractive index (RI) sensitivity but the length does not. A refractometer with a lower MMFC diameter has a higher sensitivity. Experimental investigations achieved a maximum sensitivity of 1815 nm/ RIU (refractive index unit) for a refractive index range from 1.342 to 1.437 for a refractometer with a core diameter of 80 μm. The experimental results fit well with the numerical simulation results.
Highlights
Optical fiber based refractive index (RI) sensors have been studied extensively due to the advantages they offer, such as small size, immunity to electromagnetic interference, the potential for remote operation, high sensitivity, etc [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]
We have investigated the influence of multimode fiber core (MMFC) diameters and lengths on the sensitivity of an SMS fiber based refractometer
We show that the MMFC diameter has significant influence on the refractive index (RI) sensitivity but the length does not
Summary
Optical fiber based RI sensors have been studied extensively due to the advantages they offer, such as small size, immunity to electromagnetic interference, the potential for remote operation, high sensitivity, etc [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]. Our previous investigations show that a specially designed SMS fiber structure can act as a RI sensor that has an estimated maximum resolution of 3.3×10-5 in the range of refractive indices from 1.38 to 1.45 based on an analysis using a wide-angle beam propagation method (BPM) [9]. This shows that a SMS fiber structure based refractometer is a promising technology and that it is worthwhile undertaking further investigations with the aim of optimising for the first time the key physical parameters of an SMS structure used as a refractometer in order to maximise sensitivity. Experimental verification is carried out demonstrating a maximum measured sensitivity of 1815 nm/RIU
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