Intermodal coupling of supermodes in a twin-core photonic crystal fiber and its application as a pressure sensor

In this paper, we experimentally demonstrated the fabrication and hydrostatic pressure characteristics of a twin-core photonic crystal fiber (TC-PCF). Mode couplings in the TC-PCF for x- and y-polarizations were analyzed simultaneously using group effective index of guiding modes. The output spectrum of the TC-PCF was modulated due to the combined couplings of the two polarizations. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time to measure hydrostatic pressure through the dual-polarization mode coupling in a TC-PCF. The measured sensitivity of the pressure sensor was -21pm/MPa. The length of the TC-PCF used for pressure measurement was 20cm, which is much shorter than pressure sensor based on PM-PCF, and does not require any external polarizing components, meaning that it is a good candidate for compact pressure sensor. (C) 2012 Optical Society of America