High resolution angular-displacement sensor based on whispering gallery mode resonance in bent optical fibers

A simple fiber sensor to measure angular displacement with high resolution,which is based on whispering gallery mode(WGM)resonance in bent optical fibers,is proposed.The sensor is composed of a single loop formed by loosely tying a knot using single mode fiber.To measure the transmission spectra,a tunable laser and an optic power meter are connected to the two ends of fiber loop,respectively.Significant WGM resonances occur over the investigated wavelength range for all the sensors with different bend radius.The angular-displacement sensitivity is studied in the range from-0.1°to 0.1°.The detection limit of1.49×10-7 rad can be achieved for the detecting system with the resolution of 1pm.The simple loopstructure fiber sensor has potential application prospect in the field of architecture or bridge building with low detection limit and low cost.