Self-referencing optical intensity sensor based on radio-frequency spectrum interrogation

Abstract

This paper proposes an optical sensor system that is based on non-interfering optical power superposition in Mach-Zehnder configuration. The sensor generates radio-frequency (RF) spectrum that responds to the imbalance of optical power between the branches of the Mach-Zehnder structure induced by the sensing measurand. The sensing signal provides self-referencing intensity-based interrogation without requiring typical expensive optical frequency apparatus and complicated signal processing technique. Its reliability is demonstrated in a load sensing application. © 2019 Elsevier Inc.