Optical sensor using a hollow core waveguide
AssigneeThe Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
InventorMichel J. F. Digonnet
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An optical sensor includes at least a portion of an optical waveguide having a hollow core. The optical waveguide substantially confines a first optical signal and a second optical signal within the hollow core as the first optical signal and the second optical signal counterpropagate through the optical waveguide. Interference between the first optical signal and the second optical signal is responsive to perturbation of the at least a portion of the optical waveguide.
Claims20
An optical sensor system comprising:
- an optical waveguide having a hollow core, wherein a first portion of the optical waveguide is configured to receive a first portion of an optical signal and a second portion of the optical waveguide is configured to receive a second portion of the optical signal, wherein the first portion of the optical signal propagates within the hollow core from the first portion of the optical waveguide to the second portion of the optical waveguide and the second portion of the optical signal propagates within the hollow core from the second portion of the optical waveguide to the first portion of the optical waveguide;
- and
- an optical coupler configured to combine the first portion of the optical signal and the second portion of the optical signal after the first portion of the optical signal and the second portion of the optical signal have propagated through the optical waveguide between the first portion of the optical waveguide and the second portion of the optical waveguide.
An optical sensor comprising at least a portion of a optical waveguide having a hollow core and an optical coupler configured to direct a first optical signal and a second optical signal such that the first optical signal and the second optical signal interfere with one another after the first optical signal and the second optical signal have counterpropagated through the at least a portion of the optical waveguide.
A method for sensing a perturbation, the method comprising:
- counterpropagating two portions of a light signal through an optical waveguide having a hollow core;
- optically interfering the two portions of the light signal after the two portions have counterpropagated through the optical waveguide;
- subjecting at least a portion of the optical waveguide to a perturbation;
- and
- measuring variations in the optical interference of the two portions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.