Polarization-dependent transverse-stress sensing characters of the gold-coated and liquid crystal filled photonic crystal fiber based on Surface Plasmon Resonance

A transverse-stress sensor with enhanced sensitivity based on nematic liquid crystal (NLC) filled photonic crystal fiber (PCF) is proposed and analyzed by using the finite element method (FEM). The central hole of the PCF is infiltrated with NLC material with an adjustable rotation angle to achieve the polarization-dependent wavelength-selective sensing. And the combined use of side-hole structure and Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) technology enhanced the transverse-stress sensitivity enormously. Results reveal that the sensor can achieve a high sensitivity based on the polarization filter characteristic at special wavelengths. Besides that, the temperature and the transverse-stress in either direction can be effectively discriminated through dual-parameter demodulation method by adjusting the rotation angle of the NLC to introduce a new degree of freedom for sensing.