Eyal Preter

Monitoring the Evaporation of Fluids from Fiber-Optic Micro-Cell Cavities

Fiber-optic sensors provide remote access, are readily embedded within structures, and can operate in harsh environments. Nevertheless, fiber-optic sensing of liquids has been largely restricted to measurements of refractive index and absorption spectroscopy. The temporal dynamics of fluid evaporation have potential applications in monitoring the quality of water, identification of fuel dilutions, mobile point-of-care diagnostics, climatography and more. In this work, the fiber-optic monitoring of fluids evaporation is proposed and demonstrated. Sub-nano-liter volumes of a liquid are applied to inline fiber-optic micro-cavities. As the liquid evaporates, light is refracted out of the cavity at the receding index boundary between the fluid and the ambient surroundings. A sharp transient attenuation in the transmission of light through the cavity, by as much as 50 dB and on a sub-second time scale, is observed. Numerical models for the transmission dynamics in terms of ray-tracing and wavefront propagation are provided. Experiments show that the temporal transmission profile can distinguish between different liquids.

Brillouin Optical Correlation Domain Analysis Addressing 440 000 Resolution Points

The distributed Brillouin analysis of an 8.8-km-long fiber with a spatial resolution of 2 cm is presented. All 440 000 potential resolution points are addressed in the measurement. A 7-cm-long hot-spot, located toward the output end of the pump wave, is properly identified in the experiment. The experimental error in the estimate of the local values of the Brillouin frequency shift is ±3.5 MHz. The analysis is based on the simultaneous generation and analysis of Brillouin interaction in more than 2000 correlation peaks, induced by periodic phase modulation of the pump and signal waves. The Brillouin amplifications at individual peaks are resolved using radar-like coding of pump wave magnitude by a 10000 bit-long aperiodic sequence, and postdetection compression at the receiver end. Extensive numerical simulations of the Brillouin interactions over kilometers of fiber with centimeter resolution are reported as well. The results are at the state of the art for high-resolution distributed Brillouin sensors.

Time multiplexing super resolution using a Barker-based array.

We propose the use of a new encoding mask in order to improve the performance of the conventional time multiplexing super resolution method. The resolution improvement is obtained using a 2D Barker-based array that is placed upon the object and shifted laterally. The Barker-based array is a 2D generalization of the standard 1D Barker code. The Barker-based array has stable autocorrelation sidelobes, making it ideal for the encoding process. A sequence of low resolution images are captured at different positions of the array, and are decoded properly using the same array. After removing the low resolution image from the resulting reconstruction, a high resolution image is established. The proposed method is presented analytically, demonstrated via numerical simulation, and validated by laboratory experiment.

Monitoring and analysis of pendant droplets evaporation using bare and monolayer-coated optical fiber facets

The monitoring of sub nano-liter pendant liquid droplets, during their evaporation from the cleaved facet of a standard optical fiber, is proposed and demonstrated. The combined reflections of incident light from the two boundaries, between fiber and liquid and between liquid and air, give rise to interference fringes as the fluid evaporates. The analysis of the fringe pattern allows for the reconstruction of the instantaneous size and evaporation rate of the droplets. These, in turn, provide information regarding the properties of the liquid itself, and the surface to which it is applied. The sensor readout is validated against direct video observation of evaporating droplets. Several examples illustrate the potential of the proposed sensor. Evaporation dynamics measurements identify the ethanol contents in binary ethanol-water mixtures with 2% certainty. The evaporation dynamics are modified by the application of a hydrophobic self-assembled monolayer coating to the tip of the fiber. Ten different organic solvents are accurately classified by clustering analysis of their evaporation data, collected using bare and coated fibers. Potential applications of the sensors could include quality control of water, beverages and oils, recognition of flexible fuel blends and fuel dilutions, mobile point-of-care diagnostics, and laboratory analysis of surface treatments.

High-resolution Brillouin optical correlation domain analysis with no spectral scanning.

Distributed Brillouin fiber sensors typically rely on the reconstruction of the steady-state Brillouin gain spectrum (BGS), through spectral scanning of the frequency offset between the pump and signal waves. In this work, we propose and demonstrate an alternative approach, in which the local Brillouin frequency shift (BFS) is extracted from temporal transient analysis of the step response of the amplified signal wave. Measurements are taken at only two arbitrary frequency offsets between pump and signal. No spectral scanning and no prior knowledge of a reference BGS are necessary. The principle is supported by analytic and numeric solutions of the differential equations of stimulated Brillouin scattering. The BFS of a 2 meters-long fiber under test was measured with 1 MHz accuracy and a dynamic range of 200 MHz. Transient measurements were also performed in a Brillouin optical correlation domain analysis (B-OCDA) experiment with 4 cm resolution, standard deviation of 2.4 MHz and 100 MHz dynamic range. A 4 cm-wide hot-spot was properly identified in the measurements. Multiple correlation peaks could be addressed in a single flight of a pump pulse. The results represent the first B-OCDA that is free of spectral scanning. This new measurement concept may be applicable to random-access distributed and dynamic monitoring of sound and vibration.

Super-resolution using Barker-based array projected via spatial light modulator

The use of a two-dimensional Barker-based array in the conventional time multiplexing super-resolution (TMSR) technique was recently presented [Opt. Lett.40, 163-165 (2015)OPLEDP0146-959210.1364/OL.40.000163]. It enables achieving a two-dimensional SR image using only a one-dimensional scan, by exploiting its unique auto-correlation property. In this Letter, we refine the method using a mismatched array for the decoding process. The cross-correlation between the Barker-based array and the mismatched array has a perfect peak-to-sidelobes ratio, making it ideal for the SR process. Also, we propose the projection of this array onto the object using a phase-only spatial light modulator. Projecting the array eliminates the need for printing it, mechanically shifting it, and having a direct contact with the object, which is not feasible in many imaging applications. 13 phase masks, which generate shifted Barker-based arrays, were designed using a revised Gerchberg-Saxton algorithm. A sequence of 13 low resolution images were captured using these phase masks, and were decoded using the mismatched arrays, resulting in a high-resolution image. The proposed mismatched array and the design process of the phase masks are presented, and the method is validated by a laboratory experiment.

Fiber Optic Monitoring of Fluid Evaporation

Fiber-optic monitoring of fluids evaporation is demonstrated. Solvents are recognized based on their volatility. Measurements of water evaporation from a standard fiber before and after hydrophobic nanometric coating agree with conventional methods.

Optomechanical time-domain reflectometry

Optical fibres constitute an exceptional sensing platform. However, standard fibres present an inherent sensing challenge: they confine light to an inner core. Consequently, distributed fibre sensors are restricted to the measurement of conditions that prevail within the core. This work presents distributed analysis of media outside unmodified, standard fibre. Measurements are based on stimulated scattering by guided acoustic modes, which allow us to listen where we cannot look. The protocol overcomes a major difficulty: guided acoustic waves induce forward scattering, which cannot be mapped using time-of-flight. The solution relies on mapping the Rayleigh backscatter contributions of two optical tones, which are coupled by the acoustic wave. Analysis is demonstrated over 3 km of fibre with 100 m resolution. Measurements distinguish between air, ethanol and water outside the cladding, and between air and water outside polyimide-coated fibres. The results establish a new sensor configuration: optomechanical time-domain reflectometry, with several potential applications.Distributed fibre sensors are so far restricted to the monitoring of conditions within the core. Here, Bashan et al. introduce distributed optomechanical mapping of outside media, where light cannot reach. The sensor resolves forward stimulated Brillouin scattering through Rayleigh back-scatter.

Brillouin Optical Correlation Domain Analysis in Composite Material Beams

Structural health monitoring is a critical requirement in many composites. Numerous monitoring strategies rely on measurements of temperature or strain (or both), however these are often restricted to point-sensing or to the coverage of small areas. Spatially-continuous data can be obtained with optical fiber sensors. In this work, we report high-resolution distributed Brillouin sensing over standard fibers that are embedded in composite structures. A phase-coded, Brillouin optical correlation domain analysis (B-OCDA) protocol was employed, with spatial resolution of 2 cm and sensitivity of 1 °K or 20 micro-strain. A portable measurement setup was designed and assembled on the premises of a composite structures manufacturer. The setup was successfully utilized in several structural health monitoring scenarios: (a) monitoring the production and curing of a composite beam over 60 h; (b) estimating the stiffness and Young’s modulus of a composite beam; and (c) distributed strain measurements across the surfaces of a model wing of an unmanned aerial vehicle. The measurements are supported by the predictions of structural analysis calculations. The results illustrate the potential added values of high-resolution, distributed Brillouin sensing in the structural health monitoring of composites.

Scanning-free characterization of local Brillouin spectra based on transient analysis

The transient stimulated Brillouin scattering amplification of a step-function signal wave is examined analytically. Prior to reaching a steady state, the logarithmic gain coefficient of the signal wave is oscillating at a frequency that is given by the detuning of the stimulated acoustic wave from the Brillouin frequency shift (BFS) of the medium. The study of a single transient trace, taken at an arbitrary known frequency offset between pump and signal, may recover the BFS of the medium. The measurement protocol does not involve spectral scanning. The technique may increase the acquisition rate in high-resolution, distributed Brillouin fiber sensor setups.