Biochemical sensing in graphene-enhanced microfiber resonators with individual molecule sensitivity and selectivity

Photonic sensors that are able to detect and track biochemical molecules offer powerful tools for information acquisition in applications ranging from environmental analysis to medical diagnosis.The ultimate aim of biochemical sensing is to achieve both quantitative sensitivity and selectivity.As atomically thick films with remarkable optoelectronic tunability,graphene and its derived materials have shown unique potential as a chemically tunable platform for sensing,thus enabling significant performance enhancement,versatile functionalization and flexible device integration.Here,we demonstrate a partially reduced graphene oxide(prGO)inner-coated and fiber-calibrated Fabry-Perot dye resonator for biochemical detection.Versatile functionalization in the prGO film enables the intracavity fluorescent resonance energy transfer(FRET)to be chemically selective in the visible band.Moreover,by measuring the intermode interference via noise canceled beat notes and locked-in heterodyne detection with Hz-level precision,we achieved individual molecule sensitivity for dopamine,nicotine and single-strand DNA detection.This work combines atomic-layer nanoscience and high-resolution optoelectronics,providing a way toward high-performance biochemical sensors and systems.

Development of High Sensitivity Eight-Element Multiplexed Fiber Laser Acoustic Pressure Hydrophone Array and Interrogation System

Fiber laser hydrophones have got widespread concems due to the unique advantages and broad application prospects. In this paper, the research results of the eight-element multiplexed fiber laser acoustic pressure array and the interrogation system are introduced, containing low-noise distributed feedback fiber laser （DFB-FL） fabrication, sensitivity enhancement packaging, and interferometric signal demodulation. The frequency response range of the system is 10Hz-10kHz, the laser frequency acoustic pressure sensitivity reaches 115 dB re Hz/Pa, and the equivalent noise acoustic pressure is less than 60μa/Hz^1/2. The dynamic range of the system is greater than 120 dB.

Short Cavity DFB Fiber Laser Based Vector Hydrophone for Low Frequency Signal Detection

A short cavity distributed feedback （DFB） fiber laser is used for low frequency acoustic signal detection. Three DFB fiber lasers with different central wavelengths are chained together to make three-element vector hydrophone with proper sensitivity enhancement design, which has extensive and significant applications to underwater acoustic monitoring for the national defense, oil, gas exploration, and so on. By wavelength-phase demodulation, the lasing wavelength changes under different frequency signals can be interpreted, and the sensitivity is tested about 33 d13 re pm/g. The frequency response range is rather fiat from 5 Hz to 300Hz.

Distributed Acoustic Sensing With Michelson Interferometer Demodulation

The distributed acoustic sensing （DAS） has been extensively studied and widely used. A distributed acoustic sensing system based on the unbalanced Michelson interferometer with phase generated carrier （PGC） demodulation was designed and tested. The system could directly obtain the phase, amplitude, frequency response, and location information of sound wave at the same time and measurement at all points along the sensing fiber simultaneously. Experiments showed that the system successfully measured the acoustic signals with a phase-pressure sensitivity about -148dB （re rad/μPa） and frequency response ripple less than 1.5 dB. The further field experiment showed that the system could measure signals at all points along the sensing fiber simultaneously.

Fiber Laser Based Hydrophone Systems

We report our recent work on distributed feedback fiber laser based hydrophones. Some issues related to sensitivity, such as fiber laser phase condition, demodulation, and packaging, are also discussed. With the development of appropriate digital signal processing （DSP） techniques and packaging designs, an interferometric-type distributed feedback （DFB） fiber laser hydrophone system with acoustic sensitivity of 58.0 dB·re·uPa-Hz-0.5 at 1 kHz or a minimum detectable acoustic pressure below 800 uPa during field test is attained. We have also investigated an intensity-type DFB fiber laser hydrophone system and its performance.

Interferometric Distributed Sensing System With Phase Optical Time-Domain Reflectometry

We demonstrate a distributed optical fiber sensing system based on the Michelson interferometer of the phase sensitive optical time domain reflectometer （q0-OTDR） for acoustic measurement. Phase, amplitude, frequency response, and location information can be directly obtained at the same time by using the passive 3 ×3 coupler demodulation. We also set an experiment and successfully restore the acoustic information. Meanwhile, our system has preliminary realized acoustic-phase sensitivity around -150 dB （re rad/μPa） in the experiment.

A Four-Element Sensor Array Consisting of Asymmetric Distributed-Feedback Fiber Lasers

A sensor array system formed by arranging four asymmetric distributed-feedback fiber lasers （DFB-FL） in ascending order according to their slope efficiencies was proposed. The output flatness could be effectively improved with the application of asymmetric DFB-FLs. The last element had almost the same output with the others although it obtained the smallest pump power. The relative intensity noise （RIN） and relaxation oscillation frequency of the sensor array were also analyzed. It is found that the relaxation oscillation frequency of a certain DFB-FL was relevant to its relative position in the array. And the RIN of a certain DFB-FL was always affected by the other elements in the array, which was not dependent on the order of their arrangement.

Non-intrusive flow measurement based on a distributed feedback fiber laser

We propose a new non-intrusive flow measurement method using the distributed feedback fiber laser(DFB-FL)as a sensor to monitor flow in the pipe.The relationship between the wavelength of the DFB-FL and the liquid flow rate in the pipeline is derived.Under the guidance of this theory,the design and test of the flow sensor is completed.The response curve is relatively flat in the frequency range of 10 Hz to 500 Hz,and the response of the flow sensor has high linearity.The flow from 0.6 m^3/h to 25.5 m^3/h is accurately measured under the energy analysis method in different frequency intervals.A minimum flow rate of 0.046 m/s is achieved.The experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of the new non-intrusive flow measurement method based on the DFB-FL and accurate measurement of small flow rates.

High-sensitivity FBG microphone with static pressure equalization and optimized response

We present a high-sensitivity fiber Bragg grating(FBG)-based microphone with a flat response and static pressure equalization. A very high dynamic sensitivity of the microphone is achieved by a pressure sensing structure based on a carbon fiber diaphragm. Static pressure equalization is realized by a balance structure with a capillary glass tube. The resonances of the sensor are suppressed by air damping structures, and a broadened flat response is achieved. An acoustic-solid interaction model was used to analyze the response characteristics of the microphone. An experimental prototype was produced and tested, and the results are well consistent with the design.The tested sensitivity was-10 d B re 1 pm/Pa from 10 Hz to 2.5 kHz with a fluctuation of less than ±1.5 dB.Combined with the phase-generated-carrier-based coherent detection scheme, the microphone can achieve a sound resolution of the milli-pascal level. The static pressure sensitivity is measured to be-0.27 pm/atm, which is 100 dB lower than the dynamic sensitivity.

Quantitative Measurement of γ-Ray and e-Beam Effects on Fiber Rayleigh Scattering Coefficient

The effects of gamma ray(γ-ray)radiation and electron beam(e-beam)radiation on Rayleigh scattering coefficient in single-mode fiber are experimentally investigated.Utilizing an optical time domain reflectometry(OTDR),the power distribution curves of the irradiated fibers are obtained to retrieve the corresponding radiation-induced attenuation(RIA).Based on the backscattering power levels and the measured RIAs,the Rayleigh scattering coefficients can be characterized quantitatively for each fiber sample.Under the given radiation conditions,Rayleigh scattering coefficients have been changed very little while RIAs have been changed significantly.Furthermore,simulations have been implemented to verify the validity of the measured Rayleigh scattering coefficient,including the splicing points.

Experimental Research on Multi-Wavelength FBG Fabrication Based on Multiple Exposure

A fabrication method of the multi-wavelength fiber grating （FBG） was introduced. Using the scan exposure method, the multi-wavelength FBG can be successfully manufactured through applying different tensile forces during the multiple exposures process on the same fiber. Experiment results show that the position and the overlap of different sub FBGs will greatly affect the spectrum of every sub FBG. The spectrum of each sub FBG will be affected by short wave oscillation unless the lengths and positions of all sub FBGs are fully overlapped. For hydrogen loaded fiber, the wavelength and reflectivity of the nth level FBG will increase as the （n＋1）th level FBG is written. But for germanium doped photosensitive fiber, multiple exposure will increase the wavelength of previous sub FBGs while decrease the reflectivity of all sub FBGs. Through well distributing exposure intensity of every sub FBGs, a four-wavelength FBG with same sub FBG＇s spectrtLrn was fabricated on a hydrogen loaded single mode fiber.

Characteristics Research on Self-Amplified Distributed Feedback Fiber Laser

A distributed feedback （DFB） fiber laser with a ratio of the backward to forward output power of 1：100 was composed by a 45-ram-length asymmetrical phase-shifted fiber grating fabricated on the 50-mm erbium-doped photosensitive fiber. Forward output laser was amplified using a certain length of Nufern EDFL-980-Hp erbium-doped fiber to absorb the surplus pump power after the active phase-shifted fiber grating and get population inversion. By using OptiSystem software, the best fiber length of the EDFL to get the highest gain was simulated. In order to keep the amplified laser with the narrow line-width and low noise, a narrow-band light filter consisting of a fiber Bragg grating （FBG） with the same Bragg wavelength as the laser and an optical circulator was used to filter the amplified spontaneous emission （ASE） noise of the out-cavity erbium-doped fiber. The designed laser structure sufficiently utilized the pump power, and a DFB fiber laser with the 32.5-mW output power, l l.5-kHz line width, and -87-dB/Hz relative intensity noise （R1N） at 300 mW of 980 nm pump power was brought out.

Inscription of Bragg gratings in few-mode optical fibers

Few-mode fiber Bragg grating （FM-FBG） has wide applications in the field of multi-wavelength fiber lasers and fiber-optic sensing. In this letter, FBG is successfully written in a novel type of FM fiber （FMF） based on 248-nm excimer laser and a uniform phase mask. A low-loss coupling between the FMF to a single- mode fiber is realized by a graded-index multi-mode fiber with a length of about a quarter pitch. The sensing properties of the FMF grating are further investigated. The experimental results indicate that the novel FM-FBG has sensitivities of temperature, strain, and bending of 11.2 pm/~C, 1.3 pm/pg, and 636.9 pm/m-1, respectively.

Multi-Wavelength Narrow Linewidth Fiber Laser Based on Distributed Feedback Fiber Lasers

A narrow linewidth laser configuration based on distributed feedback fiber lasers （DFB-FL） with eight wavelengths in the international telecommunication union （ITU） grid is presented and realized. In this laser configuration, eight phase-shifted gratings in series are bidirectionally pumped by two 980-nm laser diodes （LDs）. The final laser output with over 10-mW power for each wavelength can be obtained, and the maximum power difference within eight wavelengths is 1.2 dB. The laser configuration with multiple wavelengths and uniform power outputs can be very useful in large scaled optical fiber hydrophone fields.

Simultaneous Force and Temperature Measurement Using Optical Microfiber Asymmetrical Interferometer

A novel optical microfiber asymmetric Fabry-Perot interferometric （MAFPI） sensor is developed for simultaneous measurement of force and temperature. The MAFPI structure is formed by a weak fiber Bragg grating （FBG）, a section of the microfiber, and a cleaved fiber end surface. The narrowband beam reflected from the low-reflectivity FBG and the broadband beam from the Fresnel reflection interfere lead to its unique sensing performance. The force sensing is performed by detecting the bending-loss induced fringe contrast changes, while the Bragg wavelength shift is employed for temperature measurement. Sensitivities of 9.8pm/℃ and 0.025dB/μN were obtained experimentally for temperature and force measurements, respectively.