PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS FOR TEMPERATURE-COMPENSATED WHITE-LIGHT INTERFEROMETRIC FIBER SENSORS

The behaviour of a temperature-compensated white-light interferometric sensor composed of sensing, compensating, linking and receiving inter ferometers was analyzed. Analytical expressions for contrasts of all i nterference patterns which may occur at the receiving interferometer a s a function of coupling coefficients between successive interferomete rs were derived. From these, we were able to find the optimal alignmen t of the system, to determine alignment errors from the contrasts of n oise patterns observed at the receiving interferometer, and to propose a simple alignment procedure. Two cases were analyzed, one with a dic hroic, the other with a nondichroic Linking interferometer.