• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.131-136
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• 2014

In this paper we have implemented a temperature-insensitive polarimetric fiber strain sensor based on a Sagnac birefringence interferometer composed of a short polarization-maintaining photonic crystal fiber (PM-PCF), a 3-dB fiber coupler, and polarization controllers. The PM-PCF used as a sensor head was 2 cm long, which is the shortest length for a sensing element compared to other polarimetric fiber strain sensors using a PM-PCF. The proposed sensor showed a strain sensitivity of ${\sim}0.87pm/{\mu}{\varepsilon}$ with a strain measurement range from 0 to $8m{\varepsilon}$. The temperature sensitivity was also investigated and measured as approximately $-12pm/^{\circ}C$, when ambient temperature changed from 30 to $100^{\circ}C$. This temperature sensitivity is about 82 times smaller than that of conventional polarization-maintaining fiber (approximately $-990pm/^{\circ}C$). In particular, from a practical perspective we have experimentally and theoretically confirmed that the wavelength selected for the indicator dip location does not make a significant difference in the strain sensitivity.