Characterization of strong fiber Bragg gratings using an applied thermal chirp and iterative algorithm

Coupling coefficients of various grating types and strengths are calculated from measurements of the complex reflectivity using an applied thermal chirp and optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR). The complex reflectivity is then utilized by a layer peeling algorithm to determine the coupling coefficient of the thermally chirped grating. A guess of the temperature profile enables the coupling coefficient of the unchirped grating to be estimated. An iterative algorithm is then used to converge on the exact coupling coefficient, employing an error minimization method applied to the reflectivity spectra. This technique removes the need for a reference grating while preserving the spatial resolution obtained with the initial OFDR measurement. Successful reconstruction of gratings with integrated |κ|L ~ 9.0 are demonstrated with a spatial resolution of less than 100 μm.     

Characterization of a high mechanical-Q fiber laser Lorentz force dc magnetometer

A magnetic field sensor is described based on coupling the field into a time varying strain in a fiber laser strain sensor, through the Lorentzian force. A conducting bridge carries an ac current and oscillates at resonance in the presence of a magnetic field. A fiber laser strain sensor attached to the ribbon measures the deflections. The quality factor is shown to be limited by air damping resulting in a measurement resolution of 704 pT/Hz(1/2)±10% at ambient pressure and 360 pT/Hz(1/2)±10% at a reduced pressure of 1700 Pa at 1 Hz and 75 mA (rms).     

Tools for synthesising and characterising Bragg grating structures in optical fibres and waveguides

Optical waveguide filters based on optical fibre Bragg gratings are used for a wide range of applications in communications systems, fibre lasers and optical fibre sensors. The technical specifications for many of these grating based devices are becoming increasingly challenging. To make technological advances in this area a number of tools, such as: grating synthesis, advanced fabrication techniques, characterisation and reconstruction techniques, are required to improve grating structures. Closing the loop between design and physical realisation has the potential to achieve an unprecedented degree of accuracy in device fabrication. Grating design, fabrication and characterisation has moved from merely an inexact experimental procedure to a highly controlled engineering process. The mathematical and physical tools to achieve this are described and examples of applications are used to illustrate the potential of these capabilities to accelerate further understanding and development of photosensitivity and gratings in novel optical fibres and waveguides in the future.     

Copy Quality Improvement Through Selective Transfer

A method called Selective Transfer may reduce or eliminate background in xerographic copies. Background, or toner deposited in nonimage areas, has always been a problem in xerography. Adjusting development parameters can help keep background at relatively low levels, but the emphasis on higher speeds and solid area development in the newer machines puts practical limits on background reduction. Previous efforts to reduce background have concentrated on two general techniques: 1) nondevelopment of background, and 2) processes for selective fusing combined with abrasive cleanup.     

Early Index Growth in Germanosilicate Fiber Upon Exposure to Continuous-Wave Ultraviolet Light

In this paper, high-accuracy measurements of ultraviolet (UV)-induced refractive-index changes (plusmn3times10^-7) in germanosilicate optical fiber as a function of intensity and exposure time are presented. To examine the early growth characteristics of the fiber, samples are irradiated with 244-nm light for 100 s at relatively low intensities (0.007-2.7 W/cm²). The combined growth data is then interpolated to generate a 3-D "index growth surface" of photo-induced index. An empirically derived mathematical expression relates the index growth to the exposure time and intensity. Evidence is presented that, after exposing the fiber at one intensity, additional growth at a different intensity is dictated by the final index change of the first exposure and the intensity of the second exposure. This "compound growth rule" permits the complete calculation of induced-grating structures produced by such a complex exposure history. Using the index-growth surface and the compound-growth rule, the growth and UV erasure of a fiber Bragg grating is successfully predicted using a modified F-matrix algorithm     

Ultra-high-sensitivity two-dimensional bend sensor

A multicore fibre Fabry-Perot-based strain sensor interrogated with tandem interferometry for bend measurement is described. Curvature in two dimensions is obtained by measuring the difference in strain between three co-located low finesse Fabry-Perot interferometers formed in each core of the fibre by pairs of Bragg gratings. This sensor provides a responsivity enhancement of up to 30 times that of a previously reported fibre Bragg grating based sensor. Strain resolutions of 0.6 n/spl epsiv//Hz/sup 1/2/ above 1 Hz are demonstrated, which corresponds to a curvature resolution of /spl sim/0.012 km/sup -1//Hz/sup 1/2/.     

High-responsivity fiber-optic flexural disk accelerometers

This paper presents performance measurements of fiber-optic flexural disk accelerometers. The flexural disk acts as a mass-spring element to which the fiber is bonded, such that an acceleration causes a strain to be imposed on the fiber which is measured interferometrically. Simple analytical models have been written to calculate the responsivity and resonant frequency of disks under various boundary conditions and the results of the models have been shown to be in good agreement with the measured responsivity for the case of moderately thick disks. Six optical fiber accelerometers based on flexural disks of different thickness and supports have been demonstrated to exhibit a responsivity in the range from 28 to 39 dB re 1 rad/g with a resonant frequency between 2.4 kHz to greater than 5 kHz, respectively. Of the designs considered, the centrally supported disk is shown to give the highest combination of responsivity and bandwidth. A centrally supported disk has been demonstrated to exhibit a flat response up to 2 kHz and a responsivity of 37 dB re 1 rad/g which when combined with an interferometric phase resolution of 6 μrad/√Hz, would give a minimum detectable acceleration of 84 ng/√Hz. We have attempted to cover all aspects of the sensor design including responsivity, bandwidth, cross-responsivity, phase response and size and find that a complicated compromise between all of these design parameters is required to achieve the optimum performance     

Rapid characterization of the ultraviolet induced fiber Bragg grating complex coupling coefficient as a function of irradiance and exposure time

We report the application of optical frequency domain reflectometry and a discrete-layer-peeling inverse scattering algorithm to the spatial characterization of the UV induced complex coupling coefficient during fiber Bragg grating growth. The fiber grating is rapidly characterized using this technique to give irradiance dependent growth as a function of exposure time, thereby providing the complete characterization of the coupling coefficient in the form of a "growth surface," which is related to the fiber's photosensitivity. We compare measurements of fiber Bragg grating growth in SMF-28 when exposed to continuous wave 244 nm irradiation from 0 to 90 W cm(-2) for exposure times up to 3230 s with a selection of other fibers including high germanium concentration fiber and erbium doped fiber.