Transverse force sensitivity of joint photonic crystal fibres

Further to the previous investigation of four types of photonic crystal fibres (PCFs) for their respective force/pressure sensitivity and the conclusion made that the PCF with lower birefringence demonstrates higher force/pressure sensitivity, this work is focused on the investigation of the pressure/force sensitivities of any two joint PCFs when they are fusion-spliced together. To obtain an optimum output, a polarization controller is used in a fibre loop mirror configuration to ensure two joint PCFs having the same birefringence angle. The results obtained show that the sensitivity of the joint fibres is lower than that of a single PCF with low and medium birefringence but more sensitive than that of a single PCF with high birefringence.