External fibre Fabry–Perot acoustic sensor based on a photonic-crystal mirror

We demonstrate an acoustic sensor based on a Fabry–Perot interferometer formed by a single-mode fibre and an external silicon photonic-crystal mirror. Measurements in air indicate that this sensor has a relatively uniform frequency response up to at least 50 kHz, and detects pressures as low as 18 μPa Hz −1/2 . This limit is four orders of magnitude lower than in similar types of acoustic fibre sensors. The sensor response agrees with mechanical calculations to within a few dB. We predict that this sensor has the potential to detect pressures as low as 600 nPa Hz −1/2 , corresponding to the ambient thermal noise level in air at room temperature.