| Abstract: | A new type of highly birefringent microstructured optical fiber has been tested for vibration measurements using a polarimetric technique. This technique takes advantage of the stress-induced phase shift between the two orthogonally polarized fiber eigenmodes. Comparison of three different fiber types shows that standard single-mode fibers do not provide stable measurements and that conventional polarization-maintaining fibers lead to a significant cross-sensitivity to temperature. However, for highly birefringent microstructured fibers specifically designed to provide a temperature-independent birefringence, our experiments show repeatable vibration measurements over a frequency range extending from 50?Hz to 1?kHz that are unaffected by temperature variations (up to 120?°C). |
