Tiegen Liu

Optical fiber magnetic field sensor based on single-mode–multimode–single-mode structure and magnetic fluid

An optical fiber magnetic field sensor based on the single-mode-multimode-single-mode (SMS) structure and magnetic fluid (MF) is proposed and demonstrated. By using a piece of no-core fiber as the multimode waveguide in the SMS structure and MF sealed in a capillary tube as the magnetic sensitive media, which totally immersing the no-core fiber, an all-fiber magnetic sensor was fabricated. Interrogation of the magnetic field strength can be achieved either by measuring the dip wavelength shift of the transmission spectrum or by detecting the transmission loss at a specific wavelength. A demonstration sensor with sensitivities up to 905 pm/mT and 0.748 dB/mT was fabricated and investigated. A theoretical model for the design of the proposed device was developed and numerical simulations were performed.

Wavelength Sweep of Intracavity Fiber Laser for Low Concentration Gas Detection

Wavelength sweep technique (WST) is introduced into intracavity fiber laser (ICFL) for low concentration gas detection. The limitation induced by noise can be eliminated using this method, and the performance of the system is improved. The sensitivity of the system is reduced to less than 200 ppm. With WST, the sweeping characteristic of the ICFL can be described according to known gas absorption spectra.

Long-range vibration sensor based on correlation analysis of optical frequency-domain reflectometry signals

We present a novel method to achieve a space-resolved long- range vibration detection system based on the correlation analysis of the optical frequency-domain reflectometry (OFDR) signals. By performing two separate measurements of the vibrated and non-vibrated states on a test fiber, the vibration frequency and position of a vibration event can be obtained by analyzing the cross-correlation between beat signals of the vibrated and non-vibrated states in a spatial domain, where the beat signals are generated from interferences between local Rayleigh backscattering signals of the test fiber and local light oscillator. Using the proposed technique, we constructed a standard single-mode fiber based vibration sensor that can have a dynamic range of 12 km and a measurable vibration frequency up to 2 kHz with a spatial resolution of 5 m. Moreover, preliminarily investigation results of two vibration events located at different positions along the test fiber are also reported.

Magnetic Field Sensor Based on U-Bent Single-Mode Fiber and Magnetic Fluid

In this paper, an all-fiber magnetic field sensor based on a U-bent single-mode fiber and magnetic fluid (MF) is proposed and investigated. Because of the tunable refractive index and absorption coefficient of MF, the transmission spectrum will change with the magnetic field strength (H), which can be used to demodulate H through the wavelength shift or the intensity change. The influence of the diameter of the U shape to the performance of the sensor is investigated and discussed. In the experiments, the highest sensitivities achieved with wavelength and intensity demodulation are 0.374 nm/Oe and -0.4821 dB/Oe, respectively. The reproducibility of the sensor is studied as well.

Parallel demodulation system and signal-processing method for extrinsic Fabry–Perot interferometer and fiber Bragg grating sensors

A parallel demodulation system for extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer (EFPI) and fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors is presented that is based on a Michelson interferometer and combines the methods of low-coherence interference and Fourier transform spectrum. Signals from EFPI and FBG sensors are obtained simultaneously by scanning one arm of a Michelson interferometer, and an algorithm model is established to process the signals and retrieve both the wavelength of the FBG and the cavity length of the EFPI at the same time, which are then used to determine the strain and temperature.

Compensation of laser frequency tuning nonlinearity of a long range OFDR using deskew filter

We present a simple and effective method to compensate the optical frequency tuning nonlinearity of a tunable laser source (TLS) in a long range optical frequency-domain reflectometry (OFDR) by using the deskew filter, where a frequency tuning nonlinear phase obtained from an auxiliary interferometer is used to compensate the nonlinearity effect on the beating signals generated from a main OFDR interferometer. The method can be applied to the entire spatial domain of the OFDR signals at once with a high computational efficiency. With our proposed method we experimentally demonstrated a factor of 93 times improvement in spatial resolution by comparing the results of an OFDR system with and without nonlinearity compensation. In particular we achieved a measurement range of 80 km and a spatial resolution of 20 cm and 1.6 m at distances of 10 km and 80 km, respectively with a short signal processing time of less than 1 s for 5 × 10(6) data points. The improved performance of the OFDR with a high spatial resolution, a long measurement range and a short process time will lead to practical applications in the real-time monitoring, test and measurement of fiber optical communication networks and sensing systems.

A novel method for determining and improving the quality of a quadrupolar fiber gyro coil under temperature variations

We introduce a parameter called pointing error thermal sensitivity (PETS) for quantitatively determining the quality of a quadrupolar (QAD) fiber coil under radial temperature variations. We show both analytically and experimentally that the pointing error of a fiber gyro incorporating the fiber coil is linearly proportional to the final radial thermal gradient on the coil, with PETS as the proportional constant. We further show that PETS is linearly proportional to another parameter called effective asymmetric length of the coil. By thermally inducing different radial thermal gradients on the fiber coil and measuring the corresponding pointing errors in a gyroscopic measurement setup, we can confidently determine the PETS of the fiber coil and its associated effective asymmetric length caused by imperfections in coil winding. Consequently, we are able to precisely trim the coil to achieve best thermal performance.

A Quantitative Robustness Evaluation Model for Optical Fiber Sensor Networks

Optical fiber sensor networks (OFSNs) are facing the problem of a lack of systematic evaluation criteria to assess network performance. In this paper, a universal quantitative robustness evaluation model for OFSNs is proposed. The model defines robustness as the mathematical expectation of the monitoring coverage ratio, which has taken into account the performance under all possible network states and the probability of each state. This model is applied to four basic network topologies including line, ring, star and bus topologies, and their mathematical expressions of robustness are derived by analyzing all possible states in detail. Further simulation gives a quantitative comparison among these topologies, proving that the ring and star topologies are optimal for the monitoring of strip-shaped and square regions, respectively. Finally, two influencing factors, the attenuation coefficient and the threshold, are investigated for their impact on the robustness of the network.

Investigation of Wavelength Modulation and Wavelength Sweep Techniques in Intracavity Fiber Laser for Gas Detection

Wavelength modulation technique (WMT) and wavelength sweep technique (WST) are introduced into intracavity fiber laser for both gas concentration sensing and absorption wavelength detection in this paper. The principle of gas sensing and spectral analysis using WMT and WST was studied. Polynomial fit was adopted to model the system nonlinear characteristic, based on which absorption wavelength can be detected. The system optimization and acetylene gas sensing were both realized, and the absolute detected error can be increased less than 75 ppm. The absorption wavelengths of the detected gas were calculated based on the polynomial fitting results of the system nonlinear. The absorption wavelengths of acetylene were detected using this method, with absolute error no more than 0.445 nm. The system has the ability of realizing both concentration sensing and gas-type recognition.

A polarized low-coherence interferometry demodulation algorithm by recovering the absolute phase of a selected monochromatic frequency

A demodulation algorithm based on absolute phase recovery of a selected monochromatic frequency is proposed for optical fiber Fabry-Perot pressure sensing system. The algorithm uses Fourier transform to get the relative phase and intercept of the unwrapped phase-frequency linear fit curve to identify its interference-order, which are then used to recover the absolute phase. A simplified mathematical model of the polarized low-coherence interference fringes was established to illustrate the principle of the proposed algorithm. Phase unwrapping and the selection of monochromatic frequency were discussed in detail. Pressure measurement experiment was carried out to verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. Results showed that the demodulation precision by our algorithm could reach up to 0.15kPa, which has been improved by 13 times comparing with phase slope based algorithm.