Remote sensing of volcanic gases with a DFB-laser-based fiber spectrometer

We demonstrate monitoring of H₂O and CO₂ emitted in a volcanic area, using a spectrometer equipped with two distributed feedback (DFB) semiconductor diode lasers. Each laser is resonant with a molecular species and is fiber-coupled to allow remote operation of the spectrometer. Recordings of H₂O and CO₂ lines made at the Solfatara volcano, in southern Italy, are shown, and the application of such a spectrometer as a new tool for the continuous monitoring and surveillance of volcanoes is discussed. Received: 28 June 1999 / Revised version: 20 December 1999 / Published online: 23 February 2000     

Polymerization shrinkage of a dental resin composite determined by a fiber optic Fizeau interferometer

A fiber optic sensing method based on a Fizeau-type interferometric scheme was employed for monitoring linear polymerization shrinkage in dental restoratives. This technique offers several advantages over the conventional methods of measuring polymerization contraction. This simple, compact, non-invasive and self-calibrating system competes with both conventional and other high-resolution bulk interferometric techniques. In this work, an analysis of the quality of interference signal and fringes visibility was performed in order to characterize their resolution and application range. The measurements of percent linear contraction as a function of the sample thickness were carried out in this study on two dental composites: Filtek P60 (3M ESPE) Posterior Restorer and Filtek Z250 (3M ESPE) Universal Restorer. The results were discussed with respect to others obtained employing alternative techniques.     

Highly reliable strain-tuning of an Erbium-doped fiber laser for the interrogation of multiplexed Bragg grating sensors

The authors implemented a tunable linear cavity Erbium-doped fiber (EDF) laser for the interrogation of multiplexed fiber Bragg grating sensors (BGS). A high-strength single-pulse draw-tower fiber Bragg grating (FBG) was used as the mechanically tunable element enabling the rapid wavelength sweeping of the laser center wavelength. A simple algorithm to process the noisy acquired data and identify the peak of the BGS spectra was employed. For the first time, this type of configuration was used to reliably interrogate at least three fiber Bragg grating sensors with a standard wavelength spacing between the Bragg wavelengths of 3 nm, without risk of breaking the stretched fiber, using an FBG with a simple PZT driven mount as the tuning elements.     

Biospeckle laser spectral analysis under Inertia Moment, Entropy and Cross-Spectrum methods

Biospeckle or dynamic speckle can be used as a method for analysing activity, biologic or not, from materials illuminated with laser beam. The Spatial Temporal Speckle (STS) contains data of time information of dynamic speckle and it is used as input for many techniques allowing the analysis of the activity which is being monitored. One question that rises from the manipulation of the STS is related with the information inside it, in particular, whether it is possible to access different frequency behaviors in the time series presented in the STS pattern. This study presents the Inertia Moment, the Wavelets based Entropy and the Cross-Spectrum analysis as approaches that can be used for evaluating the STS spectral content. In a simulation, STS lines have been created based on many frequencies of the fundamental harmonic. This was done for verifying as each method acts when analysing different frequencies, varying harmonics offset and amplitude. These techniques were applied to real database, to validate their action mechanism in real samples. The results present that all techniques were able to verify the spectral content of different harmonics. Inertia Moment was more efficient on analysing high frequencies, because it is a second order moment, being able to obtain more information from high variations on activity. Entropy and Cross-Spectrum, in turn, were better on differing lower frequencies. This was attributed to the convolution proccess, which is present in both methods, filtering high frequencies. Although, any of them returned informations on both high and low frequencies at the same time, they can be used simultaneously, since Entropy and Cross-Spectrum were complementary to Inertia Moment.     

Time history speckle pattern under statistical view

The dynamic speckle analysis has been done because speckle interference began to be evaluated as an important source of information, especially those related to biological samples under laser beam. The time history speckle pattern, a THSP image, is an approach to analyze, which allows a summary to represent the activity monitored. THSP adoption has compelled the research to evaluate the information and the reliability of its inner pattern. This study presents a statistical approach to analyze the data using white noise tests and cross-spectrum analysis. The data analyzed was a set of THSP from animal sperm samples. The evaluation of white noise among lines was conducted using the Fischer test over eight THSP and the cross-spectral approach has been conducted by comparing the information in each THSP. The results presented that the THSP of the sperm did not behave as a white noise in a global evaluation, and specifically in the Gaussian white noise test over 4096 lines; only six lines presented the behavior of a white noise pattern. The strong rejection of white noise test confirms that the THSP pattern allows reliable information. The results obtained with the cross-spectral analysis presented differences between lines within the same THSP, showing that the information of an inner pattern varies in relation to space, which is against the findings in literature.     

Simultaneous measurement of refractive index and temperature using dual-period grapefruit microstructured fiber grating

By cascading the long period fiber grating (LPFG) and fiber Bragg grating (FBG) in grapefruit microstructured fiber, a novel dual-period fiber grating sensor is proposed. The refractive index and temperature are measured simultaneously by using the different sensitivity of FBG and LPFG. The relationship between dual-period fiber grating transmission spectrum and refractive index, resonant wavelengths and temperature are analyzed theoretically, respectively. The simulation results show that the accuracy of the sensor in measuring refractive index and temperature is estimated to be 2319.6 nm/RIU in a range from 1.33 to 1.36 and 0.017 nm/°C from 0 °C to 100 °C, respectively. Thus, the sensor has high refractive index sensitivity, and can provide the theoretical foundation for the optical fiber biosensor.     

A Compact Nanosecond-Pulse Shaping System Based on Pulse Stacking in Fibres

We demonstrate a compact pulse shaping system based on temporal stacking of pulses in fibres, by which synchronized pulses of ultrashort and nanosecond lasers can be obtained. The system may generate shape-controllable pulses with a fast rise time and high-resolution within a time window of ～2.2ns by adjusting variable optical attenuators in the 32 fibre channels independently. With the help of optical amplifiers, the system delivers mJ-level pulses with a signal-to-noise ratio of ～35dB.     

Fast wavelength-tunable ultra-violet laser source for confocal Fura-2AM imaging

We report a novel wavelength-flexible laser source for three-dimensional ultra-violet imaging. Based on supercontinuum generation in photonic crystal fiber, the resultant broadband laser source extended from λ = 331 nm into the visible region of the spectrum. Using an electronically-controlled filter wheel and filter set with a response time of approximately 50 ms, rapid wavelength selection was performed. The described scheme is capable of exciting the current range of ultra-violet-excited fluorophores and the simple and rapid wavelength control also provides a new approach for fast ratiometric imaging of Fura-2AM, facilitating an easy method of performing quantitative intracellular calcium concentration measurements.     

Multiple-Pulse Operation in Passively Mode-Locked Fibre Laser with Positive Dispersion Cavity

We report the observation of rectangular shape spectrum in passively mode-locked fibre laser with positive dispersion cavity. The spectrum is broad and flat, and 3dB bandwidth can be up to 17.61 nm. Multiple-pulse operation is observed in our laser system. The spectrum width, pulse energy, pulse width and peak power of the mode-locked laser output change with the appearance of multiple-pulse operation.     

Measurement of multi-exponential optical decay processes by?phase-shift cavity ring-down

Multi-exponential decay waveforms are common occurrences in cavity ring-down spectroscopy and the respective ring-down times are typically obtained by fitting the ring-down waveform to the sum of exponential decay functions. In phase-shift cavity ring-down (CRD) spectroscopy the measurement of a single phase angle will not provide sufficient information and needs to be complemented by either intensity measurements or phase angle measurements at different modulation frequencies. Here, a formalism analogous to that developed for fluorescence lifetime spectroscopy is adapted to the phase-shift CRD technique and is tested for two types of waveguide CRD systems: (1) a single-mode fiber cavity in which light is confined by two identical Fiber Bragg Gratings and (2) a multimode fiber loop. By measuring the phase angle at different modulation frequencies, lifetimes for up to three different decay processes were obtained.     

A study on Raman scattering cross section of carbon tetrachloride at low concentrations

Using the technique of the liquid-core optical fiber (LCOF), we measured the Raman spectra intensities of CCl₄ in CS₂ at concentrations ranging from 90 to 0.8% in volume. According to the relative peak area ratios and peak height ratios, two kinds of RSCS values of the 459 cm^–1 CCl₄ band for each concentration, _{R A} and _{R H}, were obtained by using Onsagers model and the internal standard method. The two kinds of RSCS values and their changing tendencies are in agreement with each other. It is also found that both _{R A} and _{R H} increase with decreasing solution concentration. When the concentration is higher than 4%, both of them are flat and linear with the volume concentration of CCl₄ in CS₂. When the concentration is lower than 4%, they increase rapidly with decreasing concentration. At 0.8% both RSCS values increase to ten times that of the 459 cm^–1 band of CCl₄ in pure liquid. A tentative theory exploration for the experimental results is given, which introduces dispersion forces into Onsagers model. Additionally, some likely influencing factors on experimental results, such as numerical aperture (NA) of LCOF and baseline subtraction, were researched.     

Using of non-uniform stress effect to realize the tunable dispersion of the fiber Bragg grating with tapered metal coatings

A novel method of adjusting the dispersion of fiber Bragg grating is proposed using the non-uniform stress effect. By loading the axial stress on the fiber grating coated with non-uniform copper thin-film, the induced non-uniform stress effect can realize the tunable dispersion of grating. The non-uniform copper films are plated on the outer cladding of fiber grating and the thickness of the copper film gradually changes along the grating length. Numerical models are established to analyze the dynamic tunable characteristics of such grating when loading different axial stresses on it. The model is verified by experiments.     

Effects of Polarization-Maintaining Fibre Degrading on Precision of Fibre Optic Gyroscopes in Radiation Environment

In the space environment, the precision of fibre optic gyroscopes （FOGs） degrades because of space radiation. Photonic components of FOGs are affected by radiation, especially the polarization-maintaining （PM） fibre coil. In relation to the space radiation environment characteristic, we have carried out a series of radiation experiments on a PM fibre coil with 6OCo radiation source at different dose rates. Bazed on the experimental results, the formula between the PM-fibre loss and radiation dose rate is built, and the relation between the precision of FOG and radiation dose is obtained accordingly. The results strongly show that the precision of our FOG degrades owing to the attenuation of the polarization-maintaining fibre, which provides theoretical foundation for the radiation-resistant design of the FOG.     

High Power Er/Yb Codoped Double Clad Fiber Pulsed Amplifier Based on an All-Fiber Configuration

We report an all-fiber two-stage high power pulsed amplifier, seeded with a 1550nm, 1 kHz repetition rate rectangular pulse, and based on Er/Yb co-doped double clad fiber. All the characteristics are measured in the experiment. The maximal slope efficiency is 22.56%, which is the highest we know of at such a low repetition rate, and the maximal output signal power is 1W. The various factors that affect the pulsed amplifier performance are analyzed. A high output power while keeping high power conversion efficiency can be obtained with careful selection of the input power, pump power and repetition rate. The experimental results show that the crucial parameters should be optimized when designing all-fiber pulsed amplifiers.     

Determination of Zero-Dispersion Wavelength by Four-Wave Mixing

We present an improved approach to determine the zero-dispersion wavelength by measurement of the four-wave mixing （FWM） effect employing the two-tunable-laser scanning method. The FWM behaviour of combined fibres with two different zero-dispersion wavelengths is investigated theoretically and experimentally. The results are compared with those by regular zero-dispersion wavelength test instrument using phase shift technique. The theoretical and experimental results confirm the feasibility of determination of zero-dispersion wavelength by FWM.     

Experimental investigation of self-starting operation in a F8L based on a symmetrical NOLM

We experimentally analyze the self-starting operation of a figure-eight mode-locked fiber laser. The design is based on a power-balanced nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM) with highly twisted low-birefringence fiber and a quarter-wave (QW) retarder in the loop. The NOLM operates by nonlinear polarization rotation. Self-starting mode-locking requires a careful adjustment of the NOLM low-power transmission, which is easily realized with our setup by adjusting the angle of the QW retarder. The laser is capable of generating ∼20 ps pulses at the fundamental repetition frequency of 0.78 MHz.     

Tailored ablation processing of advanced biomedical hydroxyapatite by femtosecond laser pulses

The micromachining of hydroxyapatite (HAp) is highly important for orthopedics and dentistry, since human bone and teeth consist mainly of HAp. We demonstrate ultrashort Ti:sapphire laser ablation of HAp, using pulse-widths of 50 fs, 500 fs, and 2 ps at a wavelength of 820 nm and at 1 kpps. The crucial medical issue is to preserve the chemical properties of the machined (ablated) surface. If the chemical properties of HAp change, the human bone or tooth cannot re-grow after laser processing. Using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, we observe chemical properties of HAp ablated in air. The HAp is ablated at laser fluences of 3.2 J/cm² (6.4×10¹³ W/cm² at 50 fs), 3.3 J/cm² (6.6×10¹² W/cm² at 500 fs), and 9.6 J/cm² (4.8×10¹² W/cm² at 2 ps), respectively. As a result it is found that the ablated surface is unchanged after laser ablation over the pulse-width range used in this experiment. Received: 7 October 2002 / Accepted: 20 January 2003 / Published online: 28 May 2003 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +81-45/566-1533, E-mail: obara@obara.elec.keio.ac.jp     

Absolute absorber quantification in turbid media at small source–detector separations

The aim of our studies was to develop a method to determine the absorption coefficient of a turbid medium in a reflection geometry with small source–detector separations. Therefore, the time-integrated microscopic Beer–Lambert law (MBL) was modified in order to obtain the absolute absorption coefficient from mean time of flight and dc-intensity measurements. The new technique was evaluated using turbid phantoms having varying scattering (μ_s ^′ between 0.2 and 2.2 mm^-1) and absorbing properties (μ_a between 0.04 and 0.14 mm^-1), comparable to many biological tissues at various source–detector separations between 3 and 11 mm. The measurements were performed at a wavelength of 1064 nm. We found that this new method was able to determine the absolute absorption coefficient of the selected phantoms with a standard error of less than 0.005 mm^-1 over the range of optical properties investigated. Received: 23 November 2001 / Revised version: 28 February 2002 / Published online: 14 May 2002     

Artifacts in femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy

The paper discusses three different artifacts related to two-photon absorption (TPA), stimulated Raman amplification (SRA) and cross-phase modulation (XPM), all intrinsic to transient absorption measurements with femtosecond time resolution. Certain properties of these signals are analysed and shown to superimpose onto measured transient absorption spectra. Ways of reducing the influence of the artifacts discussed are suggested. A simple correcting procedure based on the linear intensity dependence of the artifacts discussed is proposed. Received: 29 May 2001 / Final version: 15 October 2001 / Published online: 29 November 2001     

Power-boosted difference-frequency source for high-resolution infrared spectroscopy

We analyzed the spectroscopic performance of a difference-frequency source that utilizes a 5-W Yb-fiber amplifier for the “signal” radiation in order to increase the “idler” power generated around 4.3 μm. The amplifier is seeded by a monolithic-cavity Nd:YAG laser at 1064 nm. The intensity noise spectral density of the “idler” radiation was characterized. Cavity-enhanced saturated-absorption spectroscopy was also performed to test the frequency resolution. In particular, we observed the Lamb-dip spectrum of the ro-vibrational (00⁰0-00⁰1)R(0)transition of ¹⁷O¹²C¹⁶O in natural abundance. To our knowledge, this is the first observation of that transition by the Lamb-dip technique. Received: 19 December 2002 / Revised version: 3 February 2003 / Published online: 16 April 2003 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +39-055/4572-451, E-mail: mazzotti@inoa.it