Fiber Bragg gratings inscribed using 800nm femtosecond laser and a phase mask in single- and multi-core mid-IR glass fibers.

For the first time, Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) structures have been inscribed in single-core passive germanate and three-core passive and active tellurite glass fibers using 800 nm femtosecond (fs) laser and phase mask technique. With fs peak power intensity in the order of 10(11)W/cm(2), the FBG spectra with 2nd and 3rd order resonances at 1540 and 1033 nm in the germanate glass fiber and 2nd order resonances at approximately 1694 and approximately 1677 nm with strengths up to 14 dB in all three cores in the tellurite fiber were observed. Thermal responsivities of the FBGs made in these mid-IR glass fibers were characterized, showing average temperature responsivity approximately 20 pm/ degrees C. Strain responsivities of the FBGs in germanate glass fiber were measured to be 1.219 pm/microepsilon.

Thermal sensitivity of tellurite and germanate optical fibers.

The temperature coefficients of optical phase have been measured at 1536 nm wavelength for short fiber Fabry-Perot cavities of tellurite and germanate glass fibers spliced to silica fiber. The results are consistent with the thermal expansion and thermo-optic coefficients of the bulk glasses.

Dynamic two-axis curvature measurement using multicore fiber Bragg gratings interrogated by arrayed waveguide gratings.

We describe the use of arrayed waveguide gratings (AWGs) in the interrogation of fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) for dynamic strain measurement. The ratiometric AWG output was calibrated in a static deflection experiment over a +/-200 microepsilon range. Dynamic strain measurement was demonstrated with a FBG in a conventional single-mode fiber mounted on the surface of a vibrating cantilever and on a piezoelectric actuator, giving a resolution of 0.5 microepsilon at 2.4 kHz. We present results of this technique extended to measure the dynamic differential strain between two FBG pairs within a multicore fiber. An arbitrary cantilever oscillation of the multicore fiber was determined from curvature measurements in two orthogonal axes at 1125 Hz with a resolution of 0.05 m(-1).

Laser-machined fibers as Fabry-Perot pressure sensors.

Cavities have been laser ablated in the ends of single-mode optical fibers and sealed by aluminized polycarbonate diaphragms to produce Fabry-Perot pressure sensors. Both conventional fibers and novel, multicore fibers were used, demonstrating the possibility of producing compact arrays of sensors and multiple sensors on an individual fiber 125 microm in diameter. This high spatial resolution can be combined with high temporal resolution by simultaneously interrogating the sensors by using separate laser sources at three wavelengths. Shock tube tests showed a sensor response time of 3 micros to a step increase in pressure.

Strain and temperature sensitivity of a single-mode polymer optical fiber.

We have measured the optical phase sensitivity of fiber based on poly(methyl methacrylate) under near-single-mode conditions at 632.8 nm wavelength. The elongation sensitivity is 131 +/- 3 x 10(5) rad m(-1) and the temperature sensitivity is -212 +/- 26 rad m(-1) K(-1). These values are somewhat larger than those for silica fiber and are consistent with the values expected on the basis of the bulk polymer properties.

Transverse load and orientation measurement with multicore fiber Bragg gratings.

We demonstrate the sensitivity of Bragg gratings in a multicore fiber to transverse load. The Bragg peaks are split because of stress-induced birefringence, the magnitude of which depends upon the load and grating position relative to the load axis. Experiments show that a set of gratings in a four-core fiber can measure a load axis angle to +/- 5 degrees and a load magnitude to +/- 15 N m(-1) up to 2500 N m(-1). We consider alternative designs of multicore fiber for optimal load sensing and compare experimental and modeled data.

Differential birefringence in Bragg gratings in multicore fiber under transverse stress.

We present experimental measurements of the peak splitting of the reflection spectra of fiber Bragg gratings as a result of birefringence induced by transverse loading of a multicore fiber. Measurements show that the splitting is a function of the applied load and the direction of the load relative to the azimuth of the fiber. A model for calculating the stress in the fiber that is due to an applied load is in good agreement with our experimental observations.

Bend sensors with direction recognition based on long-period gratings written in D-shaped fiber.

The curvature- or bend-sensing response of long-period gratings (LPGs) UV inscribed in D-shaped fiber has been investigated experimentally. Strong fiber-orientation dependence of the spectral response when such LPGs are subjected to bending at different directions has been observed and is shown to form the basis for a new class of single-device sensor with vector-sensing capability. Potential applications utilizing the linear response and unique bend-orientation characteristics of the devices are discussed.

Fiber Bragg grating location by a side-scatter technique based on cladding-mode coupling.

At wavelengths slightly shorter than the normal resonance for a fiber Bragg grating, radiation can be coupled into cladding and radiation modes that become visible external to the fiber. We describe experimental measurements on a fiber Bragg grating under broadband illumination, showing the axial variation and angular distribution of side-scattered radiation. The scattering signal can locate the grating position subject to an offset in the backscatter direction. The spectrum of scattered radiation is consistent with a published theoretical model of mode coupling by a grating in a finite cladding fiber.

Quadratic behavior of fiber Bragg grating temperature coefficients.

We describe the characterization of the temperature and strain responses of fiber Bragg grating sensors by use of an interferometric interrogation technique to provide an absolute measurement of the grating wavelength. The fiber Bragg grating temperature response was found to be nonlinear over the temperature range -70 degrees C to 80 degrees C. The nonlinearity was observed to be a quadratic function of temperature, arising from the linear dependence on temperature of the thermo-optic coefficient of silica glass over this range, and is in good agreement with a theoretical model.

Closed-loop phase stepping in a calibrated fiber-optic fringe projector for shape measurement.

Active homodyne feedback control can be used to stabilize an interferometer against unwanted phase drifts introduced by, for example, temperature gradients. The technique is commonly used in fiber-optic sensors to maintain the fiber at its most sensitive (quadrature) position. We describe an extension of the technique to introduce stabilized, pi/2-rad phase steps in a full-field interferometer. The technique was implemented in a single-mode, fiber-optic interference fringe projector used for shape measurement and can be easily applied to other fiber- or bulk-optic interferometers, for example, speckle pattern and holographic interferometers. Fresnel reflections from the distal fiber ends undergo a double pass in the fibers and interfere at the fourth port of a directional coupler. The interference intensity (and hence phase) is maintained at quadrature by feedback control to a phase modulator in one of the fiber arms. Stepping between quadrature positions (separated by pi rad for light undergoing a double pass) introduces stabilized phase steps in the projected fringes (separated by pi/2 rad for a single pass). A root-mean-square phase stability of 0.61 mrad in a 50-Hz bandwidth and phase step accuracy of 1.17 mrad were measured.