In situ refraction index of liquid measurement using polymer optical fibers

A device for the measure of index of refraction of liquids in situ based on polymer optical fibers (POFs) was demonstrated. It consists in a sensor head of three passive POFs where two are coupled to two detectors and an electronic unit for the differential measure of signals. A differential operating principle is utilized to reduce noise such as light intensity fluctuation. The device was successfully checked measuring refraction index changes of the water with different concentrations of sugar, salt and alcohol