Methods for Broadband Spectral Analysis: Intrinsic Fluorescence Temperature Sensing as an Example.

A systematic study was performed on the temperature-dependent fluorescence of (Ba,Sr)2SiO4:Eu2+. The barycenter and extended intensity ratio techniques were proposed to characterize the broadband fluorescence spectra. These techniques and other known methods (listed below) were employed and compared in the fluorescent temperature sensing experiment. Multiple sensing functions were obtained using the behaviors of: (1) the barycenter location of the emission band; (2) the emission bandwidth; and (3) the ratio of intensities at different wavelengths in the emission band, respectively. The barycenter technique was not limited by the spectrometer resolution and worked well while the peak location method failed. All the sensing functions were based on the intrinsic characteristics of the fluorescence of the phosphor and demonstrated nearly linear relationships with temperature in the measuring range. The multifunctional temperature-sensing abilities of the phosphor can be applied in a point thermometer or thermal mapping. The new techniques were validated successfully for characterizing various spectra.

UiO-66 MOF end-face-coated optical fiber in aqueous contaminant detection.

Optical quality metal organic framework (MOF) thin films were integrated, for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, with structured optical fiber substrates to develop MOF-fiber sensors. The MOF-fiber structure, UiO-66 (Zr-based MOF is well known for its water stability), is a thin film that acts as an effective analyte collector. This provided a Fabry-Perot sensor in which concentrations of up to 15 mM Rhodamine-B were detected via wavelength shifts in the interference spectrum.

Imaging of various optical fiber Bragg gratings using differential interference contrast microscopy: analysis and comparison.

Differential interference contrast images of various optical fibers and optical fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs), written with the phase mask technique, are presented to provide information about the resultant refractive index variations present in each case. Use of different fiber types using two distinct phase masks producing four Type I FBGs and a Type In FBG allowed similarities and differences in these FBG images due to variations in the Talbot diffraction patterns produced to be studied.

A Circuit Model of Real Time Human Body Hydration.

Changes in human body hydration leading to excess fluid losses or overload affects the body fluid's ability to provide the necessary support for healthy living. We propose a time-dependent circuit model of real-time human body hydration, which models the human body tissue as a signal transmission medium. The circuit model predicts the attenuation of a propagating electrical signal. Hydration rates are modeled by a time constant τ, which characterizes the individual specific metabolic function of the body part measured. We define a surrogate human body anthropometric parameter θ by the muscle-fat ratio and comparing it with the body mass index (BMI), we find theoretically, the rate of hydration varying from 1.73 dB/min, for high θ and low τ to 0.05 dB/min for low θ and high τ. We compare these theoretical values with empirical measurements and show that real-time changes in human body hydration can be observed by measuring signal attenuation. We took empirical measurements using a vector network analyzer and obtained different hydration rates for various BMI, ranging from 0.6 dB/min for 22.7 [Formula: see text] down to 0.04 dB/min for 41.2 [Formula: see text]. We conclude that the galvanic coupling circuit model can predict changes in the volume of the body fluid, which are essential in diagnosing and monitoring treatment of body fluid disorder. Individuals with high BMI would have higher time-dependent biological characteristic, lower metabolic rate, and lower rate of hydration.

Numerical investigation on the effects of fabrication conditions on fiber Bragg grating spectra using the phase mask technique.

A numerical investigation on how fiber Bragg grating fabrication conditions using the phase mask technique affect the harmonic components of the Bragg wavelength is presented. Both the properties of the phase mask and saturation effects are investigated to determine the underlying cause of the rise of various harmonic reflections other than the Bragg wavelength. Results are compared with published data by various authors.

Effect of phase mask alignment on fiber Bragg grating spectra at harmonics of the Bragg wavelength.

Effects of fabrication conditions on the double-peak structure observed in fiber Bragg gratings at harmonics of the Bragg wavelength were investigated, showing that slight variations in the alignment of the phase mask can affect the grating spectra significantly. A single peak occurs only when the incident beam direction is perfectly normal with respect to the fiber.

Variations of the growth of harmonic reflections in fiber Bragg gratings fabricated using phase masks.

The growth of reflectance peaks from optical fiber Bragg gratings has been studied to determine the relative importance of grating features when writing with the phase-mask technique. Measurements of spectra for two different fiber types using two distinct phase masks allowed the contribution from grating features of half the phase-mask periodicity and of the phase-mask periodicity at the Bragg wavelength to be determined. The dominance of the latter periodicity was ascribed to either the small fiber core diameter that limited the extent of the Talbot diffraction pattern, or the enhanced ±2 diffraction orders of a custom-made phase mask used.

Uniformly thinned optical fibers produced via HF etching with spectral and microscopic verification.

A method for producing uniformly thinned (etched) optical fibers is described, which can also be employed to etch optical fibers containing a Bragg grating (FBG) uniformly for evanescent-field-based sensing and other applications. Through a simple modification of this method, the fabrication of phase-shifted FBGs based on uneven etching is also shown. The critical role of how a fiber is secured is shown, and the success of the method is illustrated, by differential interference contrast microscopy images of uniformly etched FBGs. An etched FBG sensor for the monitoring of the refractive index of different glycerin solutions is demonstrated.

Fabrication of a pi-phase-shifted fiber Bragg grating at twice the Bragg wavelength with the standard phase mask technique.

A pair of reflection peaks/transmission dips, at twice the Bragg wavelength, were observed in spectra of a Type I fiber Bragg grating written with the standard phase mask technique. The occurrence of two peaks/dips, rather than one, is attributed to the interleaved refractive index modulations along the fiber core, with the periodicity of the phase mask that has been observed previously in images of gratings that cause destructive interference in a reflected wave at the Bragg condition owing to the pi phase difference between the grating phases. Thus the standard phase mask technique produced an alternative type of pi-phase-shifted grating at twice the design Bragg wavelength.

Directional dependence of spectra of fiber Bragg gratings due to excess loss.

The reflectance spectra of chirped fiber Bragg gratings can depend substantially on the direction from which the measurement is taken. The measured difference between forward and backward reflectance spectra measured in a linearly chirped grating was shown to be due to the measured excess loss. Simulation using the popular transfer-matrix model demonstrated that the observed asymmetric behavior could be obtained only when excess loss has an asymmetric spectral shape about the local Bragg wavelengths. Application of cladding mode excess losses to the result of a transfer-matrix model accounted for the experimental observation.

Quantitative investigation of the refractive-index modulation within the core of a fiber Bragg grating.

A comparison is made between the modeled and experimentally determined microscopic images of a type I Bragg grating produced in the core of an optical fiber using the ultraviolet irradiation of a phase mask. The simulated image of the refractive-index distribution, which assumes a linear relationship between the irradiation intensity and the refractive-index change, is in good agreement with the measured image.

Bragg gratings written in Sn-Er-Ge-codoped silica fiber: investigation of photosensitivity, thermal stability, and sensing potential.

Bragg gratings were fabricated in an Sn-Er-Ge-codoped silica fiber with a phase mask and ultraviolet radiation from a 248-nm KrF excimer laser. The photosensitivity of the fiber was examined by studying the initial growth rate of the gratings written into it. The thermal stability of the gratings was investigated and modeled in terms of both the refractive-index modulation and the effective refractive index of the fiber core. It was shown that the temperature-induced irreversible shift in the Bragg wavelength could not be predicted by the isothermal decay of the refractive-index modulation. Finally, the potential of the gratings written into the fiber is discussed in terms of their use in high-temperature-sensing applications.

Nondestructive imaging of a type I optical fiber Bragg grating.

Nondestructive images of refractive-index variation within a type I fiber Bragg grating have been recorded by the differential interference contrast imaging technique. The images reveal detailed structure within the fiber core that is consistent with the formation of Talbot planes in the diffraction pattern behind the phase mask that had been used to fabricate the grating.