Fiber modal index measurements based on fiber gratings

Abstract

A novel method based on fiber gratings for measuring the effective indices of fiber modes is proposed. The effective index difference between the core mode and a cladding mode was obtained by analyzing the interference fringe of a pair of cascaded long-period fiber gratings. In order to extract the core mode index from the measured index difference, an index matching oil immersion method is proposed. By analyzing the interaction between the cladding mode and the oil applied on the cladding surface, the mode order and the effective index of the involved cladding mode might be calculated. Experimental results about the interference fringe shifts induced by the oil index and the oil-applied length are also presented.