TY - JOUR
T1 - Exceptional–point–enhanced phase sensing
AU - Mao, Wenbo
AU - Fu, Zhoutian
AU - Li, Yihang
AU - Li, Fu
AU - Yang, Lan
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 the Authors, some rights reserved.
PY - 2024/4
Y1 - 2024/4
N2 - Optical sensors, crucial in diverse fields like gravitational wave detection, biomedical imaging, and structural health monitoring, rely on optical phase to convey valuable information. Enhancing sensitivity is important for detecting weak signals. Exceptional points (EPs), identified in non-Hermitian systems, offer great potential for advanced sensors, given their marked response to perturbations. However, strict physical requirements for operating a sensor at EPs limit broader applications. Here, we introduce an EP-enhanced sensing platform featuring plug-in external sensors separated from an EP control unit. EPs are achieved without modifying the sensor, solely through control-unit adjustments. This configuration converts and amplifies optical phase changes into quantifiable spectral features. By separating sensing and control functions, we expand the applicability of EP enhancement to various conventional sensors. As a proof-of-concept, we demonstrate a sixfold reduction in the detection limit of fiber-optic strain sensing using this configuration. This work establishes a universal platform for applying EP enhancement to diverse phase-dependent structures, promising ultrahigh-sensitivity sensing across various applications.
AB - Optical sensors, crucial in diverse fields like gravitational wave detection, biomedical imaging, and structural health monitoring, rely on optical phase to convey valuable information. Enhancing sensitivity is important for detecting weak signals. Exceptional points (EPs), identified in non-Hermitian systems, offer great potential for advanced sensors, given their marked response to perturbations. However, strict physical requirements for operating a sensor at EPs limit broader applications. Here, we introduce an EP-enhanced sensing platform featuring plug-in external sensors separated from an EP control unit. EPs are achieved without modifying the sensor, solely through control-unit adjustments. This configuration converts and amplifies optical phase changes into quantifiable spectral features. By separating sensing and control functions, we expand the applicability of EP enhancement to various conventional sensors. As a proof-of-concept, we demonstrate a sixfold reduction in the detection limit of fiber-optic strain sensing using this configuration. This work establishes a universal platform for applying EP enhancement to diverse phase-dependent structures, promising ultrahigh-sensitivity sensing across various applications.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85189780494&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1126/sciadv.adl5037
DO - 10.1126/sciadv.adl5037
M3 - Article
C2 - 38579005
AN - SCOPUS:85189780494
SN - 2375-2548
VL - 10
JO - Science Advances
JF - Science Advances
IS - 14
M1 - eadl5037
ER -