Kaili Ren

Online fabrication scheme of helical long-period fiber grating for liquid-level sensing

We present a novel online fabrication scheme of helical long-period fiber gratings (H-LPFGs) by directly twisting a standard single-mode fiber (SMF) in a microheater. This is done by taking advantage of the inherent core-cladding eccentricity in SMF. We adopt a fiber optic rotary joint to eliminate the accompanying twisting spiral for real-time spectral monitoring and a stepping mechanical system to accurately control the twisting length in fabrication. As a consequence, low-cost and high-quality H-LPFGs can be readily fabricated. Meanwhile, by using this kind of H-LPFG, we design a simple and low-cost wavelength-interrogated liquid-level sensor with a high sensitivity of 0.1 nm/mm.

Highly Strain and Bending Sensitive Microtapered Long-Period Fiber Gratings

A microtapered long-period fiber grating (MTLPFG) is fabricated successfully by periodically tapering a standard single-mode fiber with CO2 laser heating source. This can be done by taking advantage of that the effective index difference between the core mode and the cladding modes is changed periodically during microtapering. High fabrication reproducibility and MTLPFGs quality can be achieved by this CO2 laser-heater-based fabrication scheme. In addition, the strain, bending, and liquid-level sensing characteristics of the MTLPFGs are investigated experimentally. Compared with the conventional long-period fiber gratings, it is found that the strain and bending sensitivities of fabricated MTLPFGs are improved by factors of about 10 and 5, respectively. Considering the simple and flexible fabrication process as well as the high quality and sensitivity of fabricated MTLPFGs, we believe that this may offer a simpler and alternative choice to current filters or sensing applications.

Slow light and fast light in microfiber double-knot resonator with a parallel structure

Based on the theoretical model of a microfiber double-knot resonator with a parallel structure, numerical simulations on the transmission spectrum, the phase, and the group time delay of the resonator as a function of wavelengths are given. We find that with this kind of resonator both slow light and fast light can be obtained at different resonant wavelengths. Experimentally, such a kind of microfiber resonator was fabricated successfully. The transmission spectrum of the fabricated resonator is well consistent with the theoretical simulation. A slow-light delay of about 38 ps and a fast-light advance of about 40 ps are demonstrated at different wavelengths, which might benefit the resonator to the applications in data delay lines, optical buffers, and optical memories.

Chiral long-period gratings: fabrication, highly sensitive torsion sensing, and tunable single-band filtering

A promising technology for fabricating chiral long-period gratings (CLPGs) is demonstrated using a commercial fusion splicer. The key aspect of this technology is the incorporation of a fully automatic program we designed for the fusion splicer. High-quality CLPGs are successfully fabricated from single-mode fibers, which have very flat surfaces and low insertion loss. We also investigate the tuning characteristics of the transmission spectrum with the mechanical twist rate in CLPGs for torsion sensing application. The torsion sensitivity is improved and the shift in resonance wavelength versus the mechanical twist rate shows an almost perfect linear relationship. In addition, by choosing appropriate fabrication parameters, the fabricated CLPGs can be used as tunable single-band-rejection filters in a broad wavelength range.

Improved multiple-wavelength Brillouin-Raman fiber laser assisted by four-wave mixing with a micro-air cavity.

In this paper, a multiple-wavelength Brillouin-Raman fiber laser (MBRFL) with enhanced performance is presented. This is attributed to the improved Fresnel reflection, thus strengthening four-wave mixing in the fiber laser cavity due to the insertion of a micro-air cavity. As a result, compared with the conventional MBRFL without a micro-air cavity, the thresholds of Brillouin Stokes (BS) lines are observed to be reduced, and more BS lines can be generated. In the experiment, a MBRFL having 40 BS lines is achieved with good stability on laser wavelengths and output power. In view of the fact that more BS lines can be established with a simple scheme and low pump power, our MBRFL promises to be employed as a multiwavelength source for optical communication.

Novel long-period fiber gratings: Fabrication and sensing applications

We presented two novel schemes for fabricating micro-tapered long-period fiber gratings (LPFGs) and helical LPFGs, respectively, by periodically tapering and by directly twisting single mode fibers. Superior sensing characteristics of them are also demonstrated experimentally.

Demonstration of a stable and uniform single-wavelength erbium-doped fiber laser based on microfiber knot resonator

Abstract. We propose and demonstrate an application of microfiber knot resonator (MKR) in the generation of a stable and uniform single-wavelength erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL). An MKR was fabricated using a microfiber a few micrometers in diameter. By embedding the MKR to the ring cavity of the EDFL, a laser with a wavelength of 1558.818 nm and a 3-dB linewidth of 0.0149 nm is demonstrated. The side mode suppression ratio of the laser is about 30 dB, and the maximum power fluctuation is about 0.85 dB. The results demonstrate that the MKR can be employed as a high-performance comb filter to realize a stable and uniform fiber laser.