Abstract

The use of liquid crystal (LC) materials in applications to fiber optic sensing of hydrostatic pressure in both lower (of the order 1 MPa) and higher (up to 100 MPa) pressure regions was recently reported^1-3. Some of the LC materials as chiral nematics possess strong rotatory power manifesting itself in rotation of linear polarization of the light coming through a LC cell. This phenomenon has become a basis of a new method of pressure sensing^4,5 and resides in detecting changes in helicoidal pitch (characterizing the chiral nematics structure) under pressure.

© 1996 IEEE