Abstract

The optical Vernier effect has garnered significant research attention and found widespread applications in enhancing the measurement sensitivity of optical fiber interferometric sensors. Typically, Vernier sensor interrogation involves measuring its optical spectrum across a wide wavelength range using a high-precision spectrometer. This process is further complicated by the intricate signal processing required for accurately extracting the Vernier envelope, which can inadvertently introduce errors that compromise sensing performance. In this work, we introduce a novel approach to interrogating Vernier sensors based on a coherent microwave interference-assisted measurement technique. Instead of measuring the optical spectrum, we acquire the frequency response of the Vernier optical fiber sensor using a vector network analyzer. This response includes a characteristic notch that is highly sensitive to external perturbations. We discuss in detail the underlying physics of coherent microwave interference-based notch generation and the sensing principle. As a proof of concept, we construct a Vernier sensor using two airgap Fabry–Perot interferometers arranged in parallel, demonstrating high-sensitivity strain sensing through microwave-domain measurements. The introduced technique is straightforward to implement, and the characteristic sensing signal is easy to demodulate and highly sensitive, presenting an excellent solution to the complexities of existing optical Vernier sensor systems.

Department(s)

Electrical and Computer Engineering

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

2327-9125

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2025 Optica Publishing Group, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Apr 2025

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