Optical Harmonic Vernier Effect: A New Tool for High Performance Interferometric Fibre Sensors

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel optical harmonic Vernier effect using Fabry-Perot interferometers, significantly enhancing sensitivity and control in high-performance fiber sensors by leveraging harmonic overlaps.

Contribution

It presents a new method integrating optical harmonics into the Vernier effect, surpassing traditional limits and improving sensor sensitivity and fabrication tolerances.

Findings

Enhanced sensitivity magnification with harmonic order

Better control over sensitivity scaling

Potential for improved sensor design and fabrication

Abstract

The optical Vernier effect magnifies the sensing capabilities of an interferometer, allowing for unprecedented sensitivities and resolutions to be achieved. Just like a caliper uses two different scales to achieve higher resolution measurements, the optical Vernier effect is based on the overlap in the responses of two interferometers with slightly detuned interference signals. Here, we present a novel approach in detail, which introduces optical harmonics to the Vernier effect through Fabry-Perot interferometers, where the two interferometers can have very different frequencies in the interferometric pattern. We demonstrate not only a considerable enhancement compared to current methods, but also better control of the sensitivity magnification factor, which scales up with the order of the harmonics, allowing us to surpass the limits of the conventional Vernier effect as used today. In addition, this novel concept opens also new ways of dimensioning the sensing structures, together with improved fabrication tolerances.