Investigation of a highly sensitive vortex beam-shined optical sensor for the detection of glucose concentration in urine

Abstract

The present work investigates the notion of a highly sensitive optical sensor for the detection of urinary glucose concentration by shining an optical Vortex Beam. The proposed sensing scheme relies on the theory of multimode interference where the transmitted output power varies due to the change in the refractive index of cladding as formed by various concentrations of glucose in urine. With a significant amount of energy at the beam’s periphery, Vortex beam can energize a massive number of higher order modes inside the sensing system. In support of theoretical analysis, an Eigenmode expansion solver is employed in Lumerical Mode solution software to visualize the full transmission spectrum of the sensor. In contrast to the conventional sensor, the proposed sensor proffers a 3.65 times superior sensitivity of around 1.116 dB/gm/dL over the glucose concentration range from 0-10 gm/dL. The presence of minimum 0.008 gm/dL glucose level in urine could be detected using the proposed technique; whereas the traditional Gaussian-beam based technology could detect the presence of around 0.032 gm/dL of the same. Due to the high sensing performance, the present paradigm can be a useful tool for monitoring the elevated glucose levels which is responsible for triggering Diabetes Mellitus.