Towards Plastic Optical Fiber Magnetic Field Sensors exploiting Magnetic Fluids and Multimode SPR-POF platforms

We have studied how the optical property of a multimode plastic optical fiber (POF) can be used to monitor a magnetic field, exploiting a Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) POF sensor. To realize the sensor system, we have deposited a magnetic fluid on the cladding of a multimode POF connected in input to an SPR D-shaped POF sensor platform. The target magnetic field exerts a bending force on the POF covered with magnetic fluid, thus producing a change of light in input to the SPR POF sensor and modifying the SPR phenomenon. This work presents preliminary experimental results to demonstrate that this novel principle of sensing can be used for highly sensitive measuring of the magnetic field. Preliminary results have demonstrated the viability of this approach showing the possibility to obtain higher sensitivities, compared with the state of the art on SPR optical fiber magnetic field sensors exploiting magnetic fluids.