Multimode interference as a tool for fiber sensing

Fiber optic modal interferometry has been around as a sensing concept since the outcome of fiber optic sensing. Initially supported by the utilization of standard Hi-Bi fibres associated to polarimetric modal interference, later this sensing approach evolved to modal interference based on spatial modes propagating in the core, on spatial modes propagating in the core and in the cladding with coupling performed by fibre devices such as long period gratings and tapers, and more recently on several types of modes propagating in photonic crystal fibers. This paper will address fiber optic sensing based on modal interferometry, and configurations of different type researched in last years will be presented and their performance compared.