Modeling of silica nanowires for optical sensing

Based on evanescent-wave guiding properties of nanowire waveguides, we propose to use single-mode subwavelength-diameter silica nanowires for optical sensing. Phase shift of the guided mode caused by index change is obtained by solving Maxwell's equation, and is used as a criterion for sensitivity estimation. Nanowire sensor employing a wire-assembled Mach-Zehnder structure is modeled. The result shows that optical nanowires, especially those fabricated by taper drawing of optical fibers, are promising for developing miniaturized optical sensors with high sensitivity. (C) 2005 Optical Society of America.