Novel optical devices based on the transmission properties of magnetic fluid and their characteristics

Magnetic fluid has many unique optical properties. It has numerous potential applications in developing optical devices because of its versatile optical properties. This paper summarizes the physical origins and control mechanisms of the MF transmission properties, and the related optical devices based on the transmission properties of magnetic fluid. In recent years, there are many applications in optical information communication and sensing technology, such as optical switches, tunable optical gratings, coarse wavelength-division multiplexing, magnetic-field sensors, current sensor. The qualitative and quantitative analysis about the physical configuration, the operating principle, and the characteristics of those optical devices are given. The valuable potential problems and the solutions that are related to optical properties and optical devices based on magnetic fluid are expounded in detail, and potential new types of MF-based optical devices are proposed. It can be concluded that the transmission properties of MF will be improved greatly, and the characteristics of present optical devices based on magnetic fluid will be made better continually and it will play an important role in the fields of optical information communication and sensing technology.

► Magnetic fluid has many unique optical properties.
► These physical origins and control mechanisms of the MF transmission properties have been described in detail.
► The magnetic fluid based optical devices have been concluded and the related characteristics have been analyzed.
► The valuable potential problems and the solutions of MF in optical area are expounded in detail according to our research.