Intense electric field optical sensor based on Fabry-Perot interferometer utilizing LiNbO₃ crystal.

Area of Science:

• Optoelectronics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Traditional electric field sensors often require complex components like quarter wave-plates and are limited by half-wave voltage.
• Accurate measurement of intense electric fields, especially transient ones, is crucial in various scientific and industrial applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and demonstrate a novel, highly sensitive optical sensor for intense electric field measurement.
• To overcome the limitations of traditional electric field optical sensors, such as voltage restrictions and component complexity.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a Fabry-Perot interferometer with a lithium niobate (LiNbO3) crystal.
• Leveraging the Vernier effect generated by LiNbO3's birefringence for enhanced sensitivity.
• Implementing Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI) for temperature compensation.

Main Results:

• The sensor demonstrates a linear relationship between wavelength shift and electric field strength.
• Achieved a measurement sensitivity of 2.22 nm/E (V/µm) in the range of 0–1010 kV/m.
• Exhibited a detection limit of 1.27 × 10^-2 E and a temperature-compensated spectrum variation standard deviation of 5.01 × 10^-3.

Conclusions:

• The proposed LiNbO3-based Fabry-Perot interferometer sensor offers a simplified design and improved performance for electric field measurement.
• The sensor's high sensitivity, low detection limit, and temperature compensation make it suitable for measuring intense transient electric fields.
• This novel sensor is expected to find widespread applications in fields requiring precise electric field metrology.