Effect of Rayleigh-scattering distributed feedback on multiwavelength Raman fiber laser generation

We experimentally demonstrate a Raman fiber laser based on multiple point-action fiber Bragg grating reflectors and distributed feedback via Rayleigh scattering in an ∼22-km-long optical fiber. Twenty-two lasing lines with spacing of ∼100 GHz (close to International Telecommunication Union grid) in the C band are generated at the watt level. In contrast to the normal cavity with competition between laser lines, the random distributed feedback cavity exhibits highly stable multiwavelength generation with a power-equalized uniform distribution, which is almost independent on power. © 2011 Optical Society of America.

Effect of Rayleigh-scattering distributed feedback on multiwavelength Raman fiber laser generation

We experimentally demonstrate a Raman fiber laser based on multiple point-action fiber Bragg grating (FBG) reflectors and distributed feedback via Rayleigh scattering in a ∼22 km long optical fiber. Twenty two lasing lines with spacing of ∼100 GHz (close to ITU grid) in C-band are generated at Watts power level. In contrast to the normal cavity with competition between laser lines, the random distributed feedback cavity exhibits highly stable multiwavelength generation with a power-equalized uniform distribution which is almost independent on power. The current set up showing the capability of generating Raman gain of about 100-nm wide giving the possibility of multiwavelength generation at different bands. © 2011 SPIE.

Improving the response time of polymer optical fibre Bragg grating water activity sensors

In this work we investigate the effect of temperature and diameter size on the response time of a poly(methyl methacrylate) based, polymer optical fibre Bragg grating water activity sensor. The unstrained and etched sensor was placed in an environmental chamber to maintain controlled temperature and humidity conditions and subjected to step changes in humidity. The data show a strong correlation between decrease in diameter and shorter response time. A decrease in response time was also observed with an increase in temperature.

Humidity sensitivity of topas optical fibre bragg grating

Fibre Bragg gratings at 1568nm have been inscribed in single mode TOPAS microstructured polymer optical fibre to characterise thermal and humidity sensitivity of the fibres in the 1550nm spectral region. Results demonstrate a temperature sensitivity of approximately -36 pm/°C and a humidity sensitivity of no more than - 0.59 pm/%RH. The fibre material appears to be very attractive for long term monitoring of high strains because of its insensitivity to humidity.

Aviation fuel gauging sensor utilizing multiple diaphragm sensors incorporating polymer optical fiber Bragg gratings

A high-performance fuel gauging sensor is described that uses five diaphragm-based pressure sensors, which are monitored using a linear array of polymer optical fiber Bragg gratings. The sensors were initially characterized using water, revealing a sensitivity of 98 pm/cm for four of the sensors and 86 pm/cm for the fifth. The discrepancy in the sensitivity of the fifth sensor has been explained as being a result of the annealing of the other four sensors. Initial testing in JET A-1 aviation fuel revealed the unsuitability of silicone rubber diaphragms for prolonged usage in fuel. A second set of sensors manufactured with a polyurethane-based diaphragm showed no measurable deterioration over a three month period immersed in fuel. These sensors exhibited a sensitivity of 39 pm/cm, which is less than the silicone rubber devices due to the stiffer nature of the polyurethane material used.

Femtosecond laser inscription of fiber bragg gratings with low insertion loss and minor polarization dependence

The inscription of low insertion loss and negligibly polarization dependent fiber Bragg gratings inscribed using a femtosecond laser system is reported. Insertion losses were <0.4dB/20mm and polarization wavelength shift of <5pm, with transmission changes <0.1dB. © 2010 Optical Society of America.

Refractometer probe based on a reflective carbon nanotube-modified microfiber Bragg grating

A carbon nanotube (CNT)-modified microfiber Bragg grating (MFBG) is proposed to measure the refractive index with a strong enhancement of the sensitivity in the low refractive index region. The introduction of the CNT layer influences the evanescent field of the MFBG and causes modification of the reflection spectrum. With the increase of the surrounding refractive index (SRI), we observe significant attenuation to the peak of the Bragg resonance, while its wavelength remains almost unchanged. Our detailed experimental results disclose that the CNT-MFBG demonstrates strong sensitivity in the low refractive index range of 1.333-1.435, with peak intensity up to -53.4 dBm/refractive index unit, which is 15-folds higher than that of the uncoated MFBG. Therefore, taking advantage of the CNT-induced evanescent field enhancement, the reflective MFBG probe presents strong sensing capability in biochemical fields.

Switchable dual-wavelength erbium-doped fibre laser utilizing two-channel fibre Bragg grating fabricated by femtosecond laser

We propose and demonstrate a switchable dual-wavelength erbium-doped fibre ring laser. Competition between the lasing wavelengths in erbium-doped fibre laser at room temperature is suppressed by incorporating a two-channel fibre Bragg grating (TC-FBG), which consists of two highly localized sub-gratings fabricated by femtosecond laser in single mode fibre. Wavelengths and polarization states of the lasing lines are selected by the TC-FBG. Laser output can be switched between single- and dual-wavelength operations by simply adjusting the polarization controller. Stable dual-wavelength output is verified at room temperature with a power fluctuation less than 0.27 dB, and wavelength fluctuation less than 0.004 nm.

Fuel level sensor based on polymer optical fiber Bragg gratings for aircraft applications

Safety in civil aviation is increasingly important due to the increase in flight routes and their more challenging nature. Like other important systems in aircraft, fuel level monitoring is always a technical challenge. The most frequently used level sensors in aircraft fuel systems are based on capacitive, ultrasonic and electric techniques, however they suffer from intrinsic safety concerns in explosive environments combined with issues relating to reliability and maintainability. In the last few years, optical fiber liquid level sensors (OFLLSs) have been reported to be safe and reliable and present many advantages for aircraft fuel measurement. Different OFLLSs have been developed, such as the pressure type, float type, optical radar type, TIR type and side-leaking type. Amongst these, many types of OFLLSs based on fiber gratings have been demonstrated. However, these sensors have not been commercialized because they exhibit some drawbacks: low sensitivity, limited range, long-term instability, or limited resolution. In addition, any sensors that involve direct interaction of the optical field with the fuel (either by launching light into the fuel tank or via the evanescent field of a fiber-guided mode) must be able to cope with the potential build up of contamination-often bacterial-on the optical surface. In this paper, a fuel level sensor based on microstructured polymer optical fiber Bragg gratings (mPOFBGs), including poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and TOPAS fibers, embedded in diaphragms is investigated in detail. The mPOFBGs are embedded in two different types of diaphragms and their performance is investigated with aviation fuel for the first time, in contrast to our previous works, where water was used. Our new system exhibits a high performance when compared with other previously published in the literature, making it a potentially useful tool for aircraft fuel monitoring.

Measurement of temperature and pressure on the surface of a blunt cone using FBG sensor in hypersonic wind tunnel

Measurement of temperature and pressure exerted on the leeward surface of a blunt cone specimen has been demonstrated in the present work in a hypersonic wind tunnel using fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors. The experiments were conducted on a 30 degrees apex-angle blunt cone with 51 mm base diameter at wind flow speeds of Mach 6.5 and 8.35 in a 300 mm hypersonic wind tunnel of Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. A special pressure insensitive temperature sensor probe along with the conventional bare FBG sensors was used for explicit temperature and aerodynamic pressure measurement respectively on the leeward surface of the specimen. computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of the flow field around the blunt cone specimen has also been carried out to obtain the temperature and pressure at conditions analogous to experiments. The results obtained from FBG sensors and the CFD simulations are found to be in good agreement with each other.

一种同时测量温度和应变的光纤光栅传感器

报道了一种新型实用的用单根光纤布拉格光栅(FBG)实现温度和应变分离传感的技术。当光纤光栅一部分包层直径变小时，整个光栅可以看成由两个周期相同但直径不同的子光栅连接而成。理沦分析和实验都证实了这两个子光栅具有相同的温度敏感性和不同的应变敏感性．由此实现光纤光栅传感器中温度和应变两参数的分离测量，而且这两个子光栅的中心波长间距可以直接测量应变大小．温度变化不影响所测量的应变值。实验中光栅的一部分包层直径被HF酸腐蚀到82μm．获得了两子光栅应变响应系数分别为0．00201nm/με．0．000858nm/μ

光纤光栅滤波的瓦斯传感系统的研究

差分吸收法是进行瓦斯远距离监测的重要方法，根据瓦斯在近红外波段的吸收特性，报道了一种新型的远距离光纤瓦斯传感系统。采用1．3μm超辐射发光二极管为光源，利用光纤布拉格光栅(FBG)优良的窄带滤波特性实现了对瓦斯的差分吸收测量。和传统的干涉滤光片相比，光纤光栅滤波器插入损耗低、制备简单。系统具有全光纤化、结构简单、工作距离远、稳定性好的特点。工作距离10km，测量灵敏度为0．1％，是瓦斯爆炸极限的2％。

光纤光栅传感器干涉型解调仪的稳定性分析和改进

提出了一种利用两种不同温度系数的光纤光栅对来对解调仪的不稳定性进行改进的方法，并进行了理论分析，研究了影响该解调仪稳定性的几个因素。将所研制的传感器布设在东海大桥上，组成传感网络，并用改进后的光纤光栅解调系统对传感器的信号进行解调。在大桥竣工测试时，该传感解调系统表现出较好的性能。

高分辨率光纤光栅温度传感器的研究

报道了一种具有高分辨率和高效且价廉的解调系统的光纤布拉格光栅(FBG)温度传感器。提出了光纤光栅的金属槽封装技术，以提高传感光栅的温度灵敏性。研究了金属槽封装光栅的温度灵敏性，理论分析和实验结果表明，封装光栅的温度灵敏系数比普通裸光栅提高了3．6倍。系统利用一长周期光栅(LPG)作为线性滤波器，宽带光源经此长周期光栅调制后入射到传感光栅，可解调布拉格传感光栅的波长位移。理论分析与实验结果一致，系统可达到的温度分辨率为0．02℃。

光纤光栅高温传感器的研究

提出了一种能够测量高温的光纤布拉格光栅（FBG）传感器结构。利用线膨胀系数和长度均不同的两种金属细杆和光纤布拉格光栅设计而成的传感头，能够将被测温度转化为光栅的应变，解调由应变引起的光栅波长漂移，即可得知待测的温度。目前在实验室实现了500℃的动态范围和1℃的温度分辨率，实验结果与理论分析一致。