Distributed high-temperature pressure sensing using air-hole microstructural fibers

We present spatially resolved Rayleigh scattering measurements in different polarization-maintaining (PM) fibers for high-temperature pressure sensing. The pressure-induced birefringence in the fiber cores is interrogated using polarization-resolved frequency-swept interferometry. The pressure responses of a PM photonic crystal fiber and a twin-air-hole PM fiber are investigated for a pressure range of 0 to 13.8 MPa (0-2000 psi) at room temperature and at temperatures as high as 800 °C. The proposed sensing system provides, for the first time to our knowledge, a truly distributed pressure-sensing solution for high-temperature applications. © 2012 Optical Society of America