Evaporation of fluids in suspended-core fibres

Abstract

A segment of a suspended-core microstructured fibre was dipped in a droplet of acetone and the evaporation dynamics of remaining acetone inside the cavity were simultaneously analysed with an optical microscope and an optical spectrum analyser. When the fibre is immersed it suffers a 14 dB signal drop. Different menisci form in each cladding cavity, with different evaporation times and rates. The signal restores its initial state not when the evaporation process is complete but after the collapse of a dominant meniscus.