Method for measurement of fusion-splicing-induced reflection in a photonic bandgap fiber-optical gyro

We propose a method for the real-time measurement of the reflection at both splicing points between a photonic bandgap fiber coil and conventional fiber during the process of fusion splicing in a photonic bandgap fiber optical gyroscope(PBFOG), using the interference among the secondary waves, which arise from the fusion splicing points and the mirror face produced by intentionally cutting the bear end of the coupler. The method is theoretically proven and experimentally verified in a practical PBFOG, and it is significant for inline examination of the fusion splicing quality and evaluation of the PBFOG performance.     

Effect of radiation-induced color centers absorption in optical fibers on fiber optic gyroscope for space application

The effects of color centers' absorption on fibers and interferometric fiber optical gyroscopes(IFOGs) are studied in the paper. The irradiation induced attenuation(RIA) spectra of three types of polarization-maintaining fibers(PMFs), i.e.,P-doped, Ge-doped, and pure silica, irradiated at 100 Gy and 1000 Gy are measured in a wavelength range from 1100 nm to1600 nm and decomposed according to the Gaussian model. The relationship of the color centers absorption intensity with radiation dose is investigated based on a power model. Furthermore, the effects of all color centers' absorption on RIA and mean wavelength shifts(MWS) at 1300 nm and 1550 nm are discussed respectively. Finally, the random walk coefficient(RWC) degradation induced from RIA and the scale factor error induced by MWS of the IFOG are simulated and tested at a wavelength of 1300 nm. This research will contribute to the applications of the fibers in radiation environments.