Ultrasensitive refractometer based on helical long-period fiber grating near the dispersion turning point

Precise and accurate measurements of the optical refractive index (RI) for liquids are increasingly finding applications in biochemistry and biomedicine. Here, we demonstrate a dualresonance helical long-period fiber grating (HLPFG) near the dispersion turning point (DTP), which exhibits an ultrahigh RI sensitivity (similar to 25546 nm/RIU at similar to 1.440). The achieved RI sensitivity is, to the best of our knowledge, more than one order of magnitude higher than a conventional HLPFG. The ultrahigh RI sensitivity can improve the RI measurement precision and accuracy significantly. Furthermore, ultralow wavelength shifts (nearly zero) with temperature and strain ranging from 20 to 100 degrees C and 0 to 2226 mu epsilon, respectively, are also demonstrated for the proposed HLPFG, which may be a good candidate for developing new low-cross-talk sensors. (C) 2022 Optica Publishing Group

Automated summary

We demonstrate a dual-resonance helical long-period fiber grating (HLPFG) with ultrahigh refractive index sensitivity for precise measurement of liquids. The HLPFG exhibits an ultrahigh refractive index sensitivity near the dispersion turning point and achieves sensitivity more than one order of magnitude higher than a conventional HLPFG. It also shows minimal wavelength shifts with temperature and strain, making it a potential candidate for low-cross-talk sensors.