Abstract
The material effect on the phase sensitivity in polarimetric fiber sensors is considered using inhomogeneous stress analysis. It is found that both the Young's modulus and the Poisson's ratio of the stress-producing regions have a significant effect on the phase sensitivity. For the pressure, temperature, and strain sensors considered, it is found that the phase sensitivity has a strong linear dependence on the transverse optoelastic coefficient and a lesser nonlinear dependence on the Young's modulus of the core material. It is only possible to null the phase sensitivity to a particular measurand by adjusting the material coefficients in the stress-producing region but not in the core region.