Joint effect of dispersions of reflection-induced retardance and Verdet constant upon the sensitivity of an optical current sensor

Abstract The dispersion properties of the reflection-induced retardance of polarization-preserving reflecting medium layer and the Verdet constant of the ZF -7 optical glass and their joint effect on the sensitivity of a bulk glass optical current sensor are theoretically analyzed taking the Jones’ Matrix as a mathematical tool and using simulation with a computer. The investigation results show that the dispersions will significantly affect the scale factor of the system. Therefore, it is necessary to stabilize the driving current and the ambient temperature of the optical source by some technical means to ensure the wavelength stability. These results might be useful for the researchers and designers working in the optical current sensing techniques area.