Sensitivity enhancement beyond the wavelength limit in a novel sub-micron displacement sensor.

We propose and demonstrate sub-micron displacement sensing and sensitivity enhancement using a two-frequency interferometer and a Kerr phase-interrogator. Displacement induces phase variation on a sinusoidally modulated optical signal by changing the length of the path that either of the signal's two spectral components propagates through. A Kerr phase-interrogator converts the resulting phase variation into power variation allowing for sub-micron displacement sensing. The sensitivity of this novel displacement sensor is enhanced beyond the wavelength-limited sensitivity of the widely used Michelson interferometric displacement sensor. The proposed approach for sensitivity enhancement creates a whole new class of sensors with ultra-high sensitivity.