Abstract

Characteristics of a fiber-optic sensor for the detection of external electric fields are presented. This device utilizes a single-mode fiber that is embedded in a poled vinylidene fluoride–tetrafluoroethylene copolymer film and incorporated as the sensor arm of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. A low-frequency intrinsic sensitivity of (0.20 ± 0.03) × 10⁻¹² m/V is measured which compares well with our projected theoretical static sensitivity. This sensitivity implies a minimum detectable field of 33 μV/m for a 1.0-km length of activated fiber and a 10⁻⁷-rad phase-shift detection capability.

© 1983 Optical Society of America

Single-mode electric-field-sensitive fiber jacketed with vinylidene fluoride–trifluoroethylene copolymer

M. Imai, S. Fujiwara, Y. Ohtsuka, and A. Odajima
Opt. Lett. 13(10) 838-840 (1988)

Electric field detection with a piezoelectric polymer-jacketed single-mode optical fiber

Pat D. DeSouza and Marc D. Mermelstein
Appl. Opt. 21(23) 4214-4218 (1982)

Dynamic thermal response of single-mode optical fiber for interferometric sensors

Luise S. Schuetz, J. H. Cole, J. Jarzynski, N. Lagakos, and J. A. Bucaro
Appl. Opt. 22(3) 478-483 (1983)

Fiber-optic sensing of electric field components

K. M. Bohnert and J. Nehring
Appl. Opt. 27(23) 4814-4818 (1988)

Fiber-optic acceleration sensor based on the photoelastic effect

Shuichi Tai, Kazuo Kyuma, and Masahiro Nunoshita
Appl. Opt. 22(11) 1771-1774 (1983)