A tunable optical fiber has a grating which is attached to an expander responsive to an external control including a temperature or a magnetic field. The expander changes length, and this is coupled to the optical fiber, which changes pitch, thereby accomplishing a tuning change. The expander may be coupled to the grating directly, or through an expansion reducer, which produces a greater range of tuning. Terfenol-D.TM. may be used for the expander material, and tubes which include a bonding point adjacent to the extents of the grating may form the extent reducers.