New Type of Multicore Optical Fiber for Sensing Applications
* Provides high-resolution, reproducible measurements* Can be multiplexed in a chain* Cost efficient* Durable* Accurate* Sensitive
* Sensing applications * Temperature * Strain * Bending * Acoustic vibrations * Mechanical vibrations
The MCF is comprised of an arrangement of optically coupled identical cores within a silica fiber. Discrete sensors within a series are fabricated by splicing a section of multicore fiber between two single mode fibers. Via a single mode input fiber and due to multimode interference, the excitation of various modes in the MCF produces a periodic modulation of the spectral response of the device, which experiences a wavelength spectrum shift under the influence of external changes in physical parameters. Monitoring this spectrum shift provides accurate, real-time measurement of physical parameters. (e.g., temperature, pressure, strain, vibrations, etc.) The fine-tuning of the response is achievable by varying the MCF design and/or the MCF segment length. This allows sensing chains to be built by splicing various sensors in series for multipoint sensing of temperature and other metrics.
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