Tunable fiber laser based photoacoustic gas sensor for early fire detection

A photoacoustic gas sensor using a near-infrared tunable fiber laser and based on wavelength modulation spectroscopy technique is developed. This sensor is capable of quasi-simultaneous quantification of water vapour, acetylene, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide (H₂O, C₂H₂, CO and CO₂) concentrations in the fire emulator. The feasibility of using this sensor as an early fire detector was demonstrated. The fire warning gases from smoldering paper were measured. The peak concentrations of gases from smoldering paper were 20,300 ppm H₂O, 2.1 ppm C₂H₂, 756 ppm CO, and 1612 ppm CO₂ after 400 s.     

Breath ammonia detection based on tunable fiber laser photoacoustic spectroscopy

A new detection method for ammonia in high concentration of CO₂ and H₂O is reported, which uses a wavelength modulated photoacoustic spectrometer based on a near-infrared tunable erbium-doped fiber laser in combination with an optical fiber amplifier. The multi-wavelength (1522.44 nm, 1522.94 nm and 1545.05 nm) photoacoustic signal measurement is established to detect multi-spectrum signal in samples. The problem of ammonia detection in high concentration of CO₂ and H₂O is resolved at atmospheric pressure. The minimum detection limit of 16 ppb (signal-to-noise ratio = 1) in simulated breath samples (5.3% CO₂ and 6.2% H₂O (100% relative humidity at 37°C)) is achieved.     

Evaluation of ammonia absorption coefficients by photoacoustic spectroscopy for detection of ammonia levels in human breath

Photoacoustic spectroscopy represents a powerful technique for measuring extremely low absorptions independent of the path length and offers a degree of parameter control that cannot be attained by other methods. We report precise measurements of the ammonia absorption coefficients at the CO₂ laser wavelengths by using a photoacoustic (PA) cell in an extracavity configuration and we compare our results with other values reported in the literature. Ammonia presents a clear fingerprint spectrum and high absorption strengths in the CO₂ wavelengths region. Because more than 250 molecular gases of environmental concern for atmospheric, industrial, medical, military, and scientific spheres exhibit strong absorption bands in the region 9.2–10.8 μm, we have chosen a frequency tunable CO₂ laser. In the present work, ammonia absorption coefficients were measured at both branches of the CO₂ laser lines by using a calibrated mixture of 10 ppm NH₃ in N₂. We found the maximum absorption in the 9 μm region, at 9R(30) line of the CO₂ laser. One of the applications based on the ammonia absorption coefficients is used to measure the ammonia levels in exhaled human breath. This can be used to determine the exact time necessary at every session for an optimal degree of dialysis at patients with end-stage renal disease.     

Tunable multi-wavelength fiber ring laser based on a Hi-Bi fiber loop mirror

A novel tunable multi-wavelength fiber ring laser based on semiconductor optical amplifier(SOA)is proposed by using a high-birefringence(Hi-Bi)fiber loop mirror(FLM)as wavelength filter.With this configuration,the wavelength spacing of this laser can be varied by using the different lengths of Hi-Bi fiber.8 wavelengths spacing on 450 GHz are experimentally obtained with more than 25-dB signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)for each channel using 1.28-m Hi-Bi fiber in Hi-Bi FLM.The output power variation between different channels is measured to be less than 5.9 dB.The linewidth of each channel is compressed from 0.347 to 0.186 nm by 1.5-m unpumped erbium-doped fiber(EDF).Meanwhile,17 wavelengths spacing on ITU-gird(100 GHz)are also obtained with 5.9-m Hi-Bi fiber in Hi-Bi FLM.All these channels can be tuned together over 0.4 nm.     

可调谐环形腔掺铒光纤激光器

使用高掺杂掺铒光纤制成了低噪声的环形腔光纤激光器。通过对文献中报道的环形腔结构光纤激光器输出的分析,指出了其存在的问题,并提出了减小其输出背景噪声的改进方案。通过实验验证了改进后的环形腔结构的低噪声特点,从原理上进行了解释。用不同掺铒光纤长度、泵浦功率、光栅波长及光栅反射率进行了实验,得到它们对输出光的性能影响。这种环形腔结构的光纤激光器可实现1525nm~1565nm连续可调谐输出。     

Detection of ammonia released from zeolite by the quantum cascade laser based photoacoustic set-up

We report the first results obtained with a Brazilian sedimentary zeolite (hereafter called the zeolite concentrate, ZC) to reduce ammonia volatilization – loss of the nitrogen nutrient – in tropical farms. Preliminary laboratory tests were made with both ammonium sulfate and urea into ZC. The reported field tests – obtained in rose cultivations – show a significant effect of the use of urea mixed with ZC on the stem growth of the rose buds. In the laboratory tests, the observations of the retention of ammonia by ZC were done using the photoacoustic set-up described in this work. The report data were obtained at temperatures of 25 and 60°C, simulating typical tropical weather temperatures.     

Tunable double-clad ytterbium-doped fiber laser based on a double-pass Mach-Zehnder interferometer

We have demonstrated an adjustable double-clad Yb³⁺-doped fiber laser using a double-pass Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The laser is adjustable over a range of 40 nm from 1064 nm to 1104 nm. By adjusting the state of the polarization controller, which is placed in the double-pass Mach-Zehnder interferometer, we obtained central lasing wavelengths that can be accurately tuned with controllable spacing between different tunable wavelengths. The laser has a side mode suppression ratio of 42 dB, the 3 dB spectral width is less than 0.2 nm, and the slope efficiencies at 1068 nm, 1082 nm and 1098 nm are 23%, 32% and 26%, respectively. In addition, we have experimentally observed tunable multi-wavelengths lasing output.     

Ultrasensitive laser spectroscopy for breath analysis

At present there are many reasons for seeking new methods and technologies that aim to develop new and more perfect sensors for different chemical compounds. However, the main reasons are safety ensuring and health care. In the paper, recent advances in the human breath analysis by the use of different techniques are presented. We have selected non-invasive ones ensuring detection of pathogenic changes at a molecular level. The presence of certain molecules in the human breath is used as an indicator of a specific disease. Thus, the analysis of the human breath is very useful for health monitoring. We have shown some examples of diseases’ biomarkers and various methods capable of detecting them. Described methods have been divided into non-optical and optical methods. The former ones are the following: gas chromatography, flame ionization detection, mass spectrometry, ion mobility spectrometry, proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry, selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry. In recent twenty years, the optical methods have become more popular, especially the laser techniques. They have a great potential for detection and monitoring of the components in the gas phase. These methods are characterized by high sensitivity and good selectivity. The spectroscopic sensors provide the opportunity to detect specific gases and to measure their concentration either in a sampling place or a remote one. Multipass spectroscopy, cavity ring-down spectroscopy, and photo-acoustic spectroscopy were characterised in the paper as well.     

Tunable radio-frequency photonic filter based on an actively mode-locked fiber laser

We propose the use of an actively mode-locked fiber laser as a multitap optical source for a microwave photonic filter. The fiber laser provides multiple optical taps with an optical frequency separation equal to the external driving radio-frequency signal of the laser that governs its repetition rate. All the optical taps show equal polarization and an overall Gaussian apodization, which reduces the sidelobes. We demonstrate continuous tunability of the filter by changing the external driving radio-frequency signal of the laser, which shows good fine tunability in the operating range of the laser from 5 to 10 GHz.     

Tunable multi-wavelength fiber laser based on a polarization-maintaining erbium-doped fiber and a polarization controller

A stable and tunable multi-wavelength fiber laser with a polarization-maintaining erbium-doped fiber (PM-EDF) and a polarization controller (PC) is proposed and demonstrated. A homemade PM-EDF incorporated in the ring cavity is used as the gain medium. Simultaneous multi-wavelength oscillation is achieved at room temperature. The theory of the PM-EDF and PC to suppress the wavelength competition is described in detail. The 3 dB bandwidth is less than 0.01 nm. The power fluctuation and wavelength shift are measured to be less than 0.5 dB and 0.05 nm over 32 min. The wavelength tuning between single-, double-, triple-, and four-wavelength is realized.     

光声光谱检测装置中光声池的数值计算及优化

利用光声光谱技术进行痕量气体的检测具有独特的优势,光声池是系统装置中最为重要的核心部件,它决定着整机性能的优劣.以一圆柱形共振型光声池为研究对象,基于声学与吸收光谱学的基本理论,建立了光声池声场激发的数学模型;利用数值模拟方法对光声池空腔结构进行了声学模态仿真,获得了前8阶声学模态值以及声压可视化振型;在考虑热黏性声学损耗的作用下,对光声池进行了热-声耦合多物理场仿真计算;将仿真结果与解析计算和实验结果进行对比,明确了利用数值模拟方法来计算光声池有关指标的可靠性与可行性;针对光声池的优化问题,提出了一种将响应面代理模型与遗传算法相结合的优化算法,在将原光声池中的谐振腔两端形貌更改为喇叭口形的情况下,通过优化算法获得了以光声池品质因数Q及池常数C_(cell)为最大值寻优的Pareto最优解集;选取一组解进行考察,结果表明,代理模型预测值与数值模拟值指标最大误差仅为1.3%,优化后的新型光声池Q较之前增长了48.9%, C_(cell)增长了34.4%.研究方法可为光声光谱中光声池的优化设计提供参考借鉴.     

Tunable single-longitudinal-mode SOA-based fiber laser based on the spectral narrowing effect in a dispersion-shifted fiber

A tunable single-longitudinal-mode(SLM) semiconductor optical amplifier(SOA)-based fiber laser based on a dispersion-shifted fiber(DSF) is proposed and successfully demonstrated. SLM operation is obtained due to the spectral narrowing effect resulting from inverse four-wave mixing in a DSF. A tunable optical filter performs wavelength selection function. By inserting a length of DSF in the laser cavity, SLM lasing can possibly be obtained when laser oscillation is stably established after traveling through the DSF many roundtrips. Stable tunable SLM oscillation with a signal-to-noise ratio as high as 65 dB over a wavelength range of about 35 nm is achieved experimentally, and each spectral linewidth is less than 6.5 kHz.     

基于单端半导体光放大器的可调谐超短光脉冲源理论与实验研究

超短光脉冲源是光时分复用(OTDM)系统中的关键器件.提出了一种基于单端半导体光放大器(SOA)的注入型主动锁模光纤激光器产生超短光脉冲的方案，建立了该方案的理论模型.实验实现了高消光比稳定的重复频率10—40GHz皮秒级光脉冲的输出，输出波长在30nm范围内连续可调. 关键词： 超短光脉冲 单端半导体光放大器 主动锁模     

Tunable dual-wavelength fiber laser based on a polarization-maintaining fiber Bragg grating and a Hi-Bi fiber optical loop mirror

We demonstrate experimentally the operation of a linear cavity dual-wavelength fiber laser using a polarization maintaining fiber Bragg grating (PM-FBG) as an end mirror that defines two closely spaced laser emission lines. The PM-FBG is also used to tune the laser wavelengths. The total tuning range is ∼8 nm. The laser operates in a stable dual-wavelength mode for an appropriate adjustment of the cavity losses for the generated wavelengths. The high birefringence (Hi-Bi) fiber optical loop mirror (FOLM) is used as a tunable spectral filter to adjust the losses. The FOLM adjustment was performed by the temperature control of the Hi-Bi fiber.     

Tunable dual-wavelength fiber laser based on a single fiber Bragg grating in a Sagnac loop interferometer

We propose a simple dual-wavelength Er-doped fiber laser configuration based on a dual-wavelength fiber Bragg grating written on the splice joint between two different fibers for wavelength-selective filter in the Sagnac loop interferometer. The wavelength separation between the adjacent lasing wavelengths is 1.12 nm and the side-mode suppression ratio (SMSR) is over 55 dB. The output power variation is less than 0.8 dB over a two-minute period. Moreover, the lasing wavelength can be effectively tuned using the thermal heating method.     

Tunable microwave generation based on a Brillouin fiber ring laser and reflected pump

A simple approach for photonic generation of a tunable microwave signal is proposed and successfully demonstrated. By mixing the output from a single-longitudinal-mode Brillouin fiber ring laser with the reflected laser pump at photodetector, a microwave signal at the Brillouin shift can be obtained. Since the Brillouin shift can be changed by tuning the pump wavelength, tunable microwave can be generated. As a result a microwave signal tunable from 10.39 to 10.67 GHz has been achieved, with linewidth less than 600 KHz.     

Tunable multiwavelength erbium-doped fiber laser based on intensity-dependent loss and intra-cavity loss modulation

A tunable multiwavelength erbium-doped fiber laser is proposed and experimentally studied. The intensity-dependent loss (IDL) in a nonlinear optical loop mirror is utilized for stable multiwavelength lasing output. The accurate switch operation, i.e., the lasing lines emerge/disappear one by one at the longer wavelength side of the initial one, is achieved by adjusting the intra-cavity loss using a variable attenuator. The effect of the intra-cavity loss on the lasing characteristics is theoretically analyzed. Numerical results confirm the experiment measurements and suggest that both the IDL and the gain spectrum, which vary with the intra-cavity loss, lead to the observed tunable lasing behavior.     

Tunable multiwavelength Brillouin-erbium ring-cavity fiber laser with short-length photonic crystal fiber

A multi-wavelength Brillouin-erbium ring-cavity fiber laser utilizing 2-m erbium doped fiber (EDF) and 70-m high nonlinear photonic crystal fiber (PCF) is proposed and demonstrated. The output characteristics and also the impacts of pump and Brillouin pump (BP) on the output spectra are investigated in detail. The output number and wavelength location of Brillouin lines are tunable by adjusting the power of 1465 nm pump and BP, and a 5-channel output within 11 nm (1551–1562 nm) tuning range is achieved by choosing appropriate pump power.