Thinned fiber Bragg grating magnetic field sensor with magnetic fluid

The refractive index of magnetic fluid may be changed by external magnetic field. Therefore, through measuring its refractive index, the intensity of the magnetic field can be obtained. Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) is sensitive to the refractive index surrounding its cladding when the diameter of cladding is reduced to a certain degree. In order to prove the sensitivity of the thinned fiber Bragg grating to refractive index, series of experiments, such as the fabrication of thinned FBG, tuning magnetic field and obtaining spectral characterizations, are carried out. After the FBG is etched for 193 minutes by HF solution at 22%, the FBG starts to be sensitive to the surrounding refractive index and the Bragg wavelength decreases sharply with the etching process. The thinned FBG has been packaged to a container filled with MF. Using a tunable magnetic field the refractive index of magnetic fluid could be changed and the Bragg wavelength of FBG shifts correspondingly. Both the wavelength and the light power are sensitive to magnetic field and the sensitivity of wavelength is 2.3 pm/mT at least in the condition of proposed experiment. The obtained results show that the thinned FBG sensor with magnetic fluid could be applicable for magnetic field and current sensing.