We propose a fiber-optic dynamic electric field sensor using a nematic liquid crystal (NLC) Fabry-Perot etalon and a wavelength-swept laser. The transmission wavelength of the NLC Fabry-Perot etalon depends on the applied electric field intensity. The change in the effective refractive index of the NLC is measured while changing the applied electric field intensity. It decreases from 1.67 to 1.51 as the applied the electric field intensity is increased. Additionally, we successfully measure the dynamic variation of the electric field using the high-speed wavelength-swept laser. By measuring the modulation frequency of the transmission peaks in the temporal domain, the frequency of the modulated electric field can be estimated.

Date Published: 2 June 2014
PDF: 4 pages
Proc. SPIE 9157, 23rd International Conference on Optical Fibre Sensors, 91570W (2 June 2014); doi: 10.1117/12.2059037

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9157:
23rd International Conference on Optical Fibre Sensors
José M. López-Higuera; Julian D. C. Jones; Manuel López-Amo; José Luis Santos, Editor(s)