SENSORS AND DEVICE BASED ON MAGNETO-OPTICAL EFFECT.
Optical sensors and devices, fiber optics, magnetic field, magneto-optical effect, polarization control, COMSOL multiphysics.
From when it was used in ancient vessels for geographic orientation, to today where it is used to treat cancers and tumors, the use of the magnetic field has brought technological evolution both in the construction of devices and in the most different procedures, and for its proper application, nominal monitoring of the magnetic field is essential. In this sense, this thesis project presents computational modeling and experimental studies for the construction of fiber optic sensors and devices, which use the magneto-optical Faraday and Kerr effects. The sensors proposed in this thesis are capable of monitoring the magnetic field with varying sensitivity and operating range, in which one of the configurations can reach an operating range of 0 to 200 mT. Due to specific applications, where there are temperature variations, a study was also carried out on how temperature can affect signal modulation, as well as ways to mitigate its influence. The sensitivity results obtained are comparable with those found in the literature, with one of the simulated structures achieving a resolution of 0.051 mT. The studies carried out aim to design and characterize the sensor structure so that its signal is optimized depending on its application. It is worth highlighting that the experimentally constructed system also serves the purpose of characterizing magnetic materials, and obtaining magneto-optical parameters from these materials. Finally, this thesis also proposes a device to control the polarization of an electromagnetic wave, based on the magneto-optical Faraday Effect and absorption in a metallized D-shape fiber. The device can be electronically controlled by solenoids, which allows for better performance when compared to mechanical controllers. Finally, the simulation results show that the device can polarize and control the polarization of light with a maximum insertion loss of 5.71 dB for an unpolarized wave and a minimum of 2.61 dB for an already polarized wave.