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    Giant refractometric sensitivity by combining extreme optical Vernier effect and modal interference
    ([London] : Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature, 2020) Gomes, André D.; Kobelke, Jens; Bierlich, Jörg; Dellith, Jan; Rothhardt, Manfred; Bartelt, Hartmut; Frazão, Orlando
    The optical Vernier effect consists of overlapping responses of a sensing and a reference interferometer with slightly shifted interferometric frequencies. The beating modulation thus generated presents high magnified sensitivity and resolution compared to the sensing interferometer, if the two interferometers are slightly out of tune with each other. However, the outcome of such a condition is a large beating modulation, immeasurable by conventional detection systems due to practical limitations of the usable spectral range. We propose a method to surpass this limitation by using a few-mode sensing interferometer instead of a single-mode one. The overlap response of the different modes produces a measurable envelope, whilst preserving an extremely high magnification factor, an order of magnification higher than current state-of-the-art performances. Furthermore, we demonstrate the application of that method in the development of a giant sensitivity fibre refractometer with a sensitivity of around 500 µm/RIU (refractive index unit) and with a magnification factor over 850.
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    Optical Vernier Effect: Recent Advances and Developments
    (Weinheim : Wiley VCH, 2021) Gomes, André D.; Bartelt, Hartmut; Frazão, Orlando
    The optical analog of the Vernier effect applied to fiber interferometers is a recent tool to enhance the sensitivity and resolution of optical fiber sensors. This effect relies on the overlap between the signals of two interferometers with slightly detuned interference frequencies. The Vernier envelope modulation generated at the output spectrum presents magnified sensing capabilities (i.e., magnified wavelength shift) compared to that of the individual sensing interferometers that constitute the system, leading to a new generation of highly sensitive fiber sensing devices. This review analyses the recent advances and developments of the optical Vernier effect from a fiber sensing point-of-view. Initially, the fundamentals of the effect are introduced, followed by an extensive review on the state-of-the-art, presenting all the different configurations and types of fiber sensing interferometers used to introduce the optical Vernier effect. This paper also includes an overview of the complex case of enhanced Vernier effect and the introduction of harmonics to the effect.
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    Direct observation of modal hybridization in nanofluidic fiber [Invited]
    (Washington, DC : OSA, 2021) Gomes, André D.; Zhao, Jiangbo Tim; Tuniz, Alessandro; Schmidt, Markus A.
    Hybrid-material optical fibers enhance the capabilities of fiber-optics technologies, extending current functionalities to several emerging application areas. Such platforms rely on the integration of novel materials into the fiber core or cladding, thereby supporting hybrid modes with new characteristics. Here we present experiments that reveal hybrid mode interactions within a doped-core silica fiber containing a central high-index nanofluidic channel. Compared with a standard liquid-filled capillary, calculations predict modes with unique properties emerging as a result of the doped core/cladding interface, possessing a high power fraction inside and outside the nanofluidic channel. Our experiments directly reveal the beating pattern in the fluorescent liquid resulting from the excitation of the first two linearly polarized hybrid modes in this system, being in excellent agreement with theoretical predictions. The efficient excitation and beat of such modes in such an off-resonance situation distinguishes our device from regular directional mode couplers and can benefit applications that demand strong coupling between fundamental- and higher-order- modes, e.g. intermodal third-harmonic generation, bidirectional coupling, and nanofluidic sensing.