In this paper, we propose and numerically analyze a novel design for a high sensitivity refractive index (RI) sensor based on long-range surface plasmon resonance in H-shaped microstructured optical fiber with symmetrical dielectric–metal–dielectric waveguide (DMDW). The influences of geometrical and optical characteristics of the DMDW on the sensor performance are investigated theoretically. A large RI analyte range from 1.33 to 1.39 is evaluated to study the sensing characteristics of the proposed structure. The obtained results show that the DMDW improves the coupling between the fiber core mode and the plasmonic mode. The best configuration shows 27 nm of full width at half maximum with a resolution close to 1.3 × 10 ${}^{-5}$ nm, a high sensitivity of 7540 nm/RIU and a figure of merit of 280 RIU ${}^{-1}$ . Additionally, the proposed device has potential for multi-analyte sensing and self-reference when dissimilar DMDWs are deposited on the inner walls of the side holes. The proposed sensor structure is simple and presents very competitive sensing parameters, which demonstrates that this device is a promising alternative and could be used in a wide range of application areas.

In this paper, multi-plasmon resonances in microstructured optical fibers (MOFs) are proposed and analyzed as a methodology to achieve surface-plasmon-resonance (SPR) sensors with a wide refractive index (RI) detection range and as a multi-analyte sensing technique. For this purpose, the influence of multi-plasmon excitations on the performance of SRP sensors based on suspended core microstructured optical fibers (SCFs) with three and four holes was studied theoretically. A large analyte RI range from 1.33 to 1.39 was evaluated to investigate the sensing performance of the SCF-based SPR sensors. The results indicate that the excitation of higher order SPP modes could be an alternative to achieve SPR sensors with a wide analyte RI range and competitive resolution. We found that the shape of the fiber core and the metallized surface have a significant effect on the plasmonic excitation spectra. We also found that multi-plasmon excitations have potential for multi-analyte sensing and self-reference. This paper can provide a reference for developing MOF-based SPR sensors.

This paper presents the design and analysis of a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor in a photonic crystal fiber (PCF) platform, where graphene is used externally to attain improved sensing performance for an aqueous solution. The performance of the proposed sensor was analyzed using the finite element method-based simulation tool COMSOL Multiphysics. According to the simulation results, the proposed sensor exhibits identical linear characteristics as well as a very high figure of merit (FOM) of 2310.11 RIU⁻¹ in the very low detection limit of 10⁻³. The analysis also reveals the maximum amplitude sensitivity of 14,847.03 RIU⁻¹ and 7351.82 RIU⁻¹ for the x and y polarized modes, respectively, which are high compared to several previously reported configurations. In addition, the average wavelength sensitivity is 2000 nm/RIU which is comparatively high for the analyte refractive index (RI) ranging from 1.331 to 1.339. Hence, it is highly expected that the proposed PCF-based SPR sensor can be a suitable candidate in different sensing applications, especially for aqueous solutions.

We report on the temperature sensitivity of the birefringence properties of a special kind of photonic crystal fiber containing two side holes filled with Indium metal. The modulation of the fiber birefringence is accomplished through the stress field induced by the expansion of the metal. Although the fiber was made at low gas pressures during the indium infiltration process, the birefringence showed anomalous property at a relatively low temperature value, which is completely different from those reported in conventional-like fibers with two holes filled with metal. By modeling the anisotropic changes induced by the metal expansion to the refractive index within the fiber, we are able to reproduce the experimental results. Our results have practical relevance for the design of devices based on this technology.

A compact tunable mode converter device based on the thermo-optically characteristics of liquid crystals (LCs) is proposed and numerically analyzed herein. The proposed mode converter consists of an asymmetric dual-core photonic crystal fiber (PCF) with a highly thermo-responsive LC core. The verification of the proposed mode converter was ensured through an accurate PCF analysis based on the vector finite element method. With an appropriate choice of the design parameters associated with the LC core, phase matching at a single wavelength is available in the important O-band wavelength region. The simulation results showed that high conversion efficiencies between LP₀₁ and LP₁₁ mode are readily achieved over a broad wavelength range from 1278 nm to 1317 nm. Likewise, the tunable capability of the proposed mode converter was evaluated when it was submitted to thermal changes; thus, we evidence the strong thermo-responsive dependence of the operating wavelength, mode conversion efficiency and full-width at the half maximum (FWHM) bandwidth. Finally, the fabrication tolerances of the devices were also investigated. Therefore, the thermo-responsive characteristics of this novel PCF mode converter can be of fundamental importance in the future space division multiplexing technology.