Micronewton nanofiber force sensor using Brillouin scattering

We present a new class of force sensor based on Brillouin scattering in an optical nanofiber. The sensor is a silica nanofiber of a few centimeters with a submicron transverse dimension. This extreme form factor enables one to measure forces ranging from 10 mu N to 0.2N. The linearity of the sensor can be ensured using the multimode character of the Brillouin spectrum in optical nanofibers. We also demonstrated non-static operation and a competitive signal-to-noise ratio as compared to commercial force sensor resistor. (C) 2022 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement