Xudong Kong

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.

Wideband slow light in microfiber double-knot resonator with a parallel structure

The characteristics of slow light in the microfiber double-knot resonator with a parallel structure are investigated both theoretically and experimentally. It is predicted that a wide bandwidth of about 20 GHz and flat-top group delay of about 70 ps can be generated in this resonator by changing the coupling coefficient. In the experiment, such a resonator was fabricated and the slow-light effect was demonstrated. As a result, when a pulse with a bandwidth of 3.35 GHz (equivalent to the temporal width of 299 ps) was launched into the resonator, a large group delay, whose average value was about 69.4 ps with a flat-top wavelength bandwidth of about 190 pm, was achieved

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.

Pressure effects on the stability of magnetic structure of Mn3Zn1−xGexN (x=0,0.1)

This paper reports that the pressure effects on the electronic transport properties of Mn3ZnN and Mn3Zn0.9Ge0.1N were measured under pressures up to 2.4 GPa. Cooling and warming cycles of the temperature-dependent magnetization curves of Mn3ZnN show a hysteresis phenomenon near the transition, implying a first order transition. The cracks which appear in the vicinity of magnetic transition at ambient pressure for Mn3ZnN and at applied pressures not more than 0.3 GPa for Mn3Zn0.9Ge0.1N are restrained under higher pressures. The paramagnetic-antiferromagnetic transition temperature TN decreases almost linearly at the rate of 1.9 and 51 K/GPa for Mn3ZnN and Mn3Zn0.9Ge0.1N respectively, which is explained by the model of TN discussed by Fruchart and the Labbe–Jardin tight-binding approximation model.

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.

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.