Anti-resonant reflecting guidance in
alcohol-filled hollow core photonic
crystal fiber for sensing applications
Shuhui Liu,
1
Ying Wang,
2,3
Maoxiang Hou,
1
Jiangtao Guo,
1
Zhihua
Li,
1
and Peixiang Lu
1,2,∗
1
Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics and School of Physics, Huazhong University
of Science & Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
2
Laboratory of Optical Information Technology, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan
430073, China
3
ywang@mail.wit.edu.cn
∗
lupeixiang@mail.hust.edu.cn
Abstract: Mechanism and sensing applications of antiresonant reflecting
guidance in an alcohol-filled simplified hollow-core (SHC) photonic crystal
fiber (PCF) are demonstrated. By filling one air hole in the air cladding
of the PCF with alcohol, anti-resonant reflecting guidance of light can be
achieved and energy leakage of the core modes can be induced at resonant
wavelengths of the Fabry-P
´
erot (F-P) resonator formed by the alcohol-filled
layer combined with the silica cladding in the cross-section of the PCF.
The proposed structure exhibits periodic lossy dips in the transmission
spectrum, of which the visibilities are sensitive to the refractive index of
surrounding medium due to the reflectivity variation of the F-P resonator.
Water level sensing is experimentally realized with this principle and the
lossy dip exhibits a linear decrease against water level with a sensitivity
of 1.1 dB/mm. The sensor is also sensitive to environmental temperature
and a temperature sensitivity of -0.48 nm/
o
C is obtained between room
temperature and 60
o
C.
© 2013 Optical Society of America
OCIS codes: (060.5295) Photonic crystal fibers; (060.2370) Fiber optics sensors.
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Received 16 Sep 2013; revised 3 Dec 2013; accepted 7 Dec 2013; published 13 Dec 2013
16 December 2013 | Vol. 21, No. 25 | DOI:10.1364/OE.21.031690 | OPTICS EXPRESS 31690