Refractive Index Sensing in an All-Solid Twin-Core Photonic Bandgap Fiber

We describe a highly sensitive refractive index sensor based on a twin-core coupler in an all-solid photonic bandgap guiding optical fiber. A single hole acts as a microfluidic channel for the analyte, which modifies the coupling between the cores, and avoids the need for selective filling. By operating in the bandgap guiding regime the proposed sensor is capable of measuring refractive indices around that of water, and because the analyte varies the coupling coefficient (i.e., instead of phase matching condition) the device is capable of both high sensitivity and a relatively large dynamic range.