Optical Fiber Research Articles

A preliminary study of polymer optical fiber’s knittability for smart wear applications

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to ascertain the feasibility of fabricating polymer optical fibers (POFs) based textile structures by knitting with Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) based optical fibers for textile sensor application. It has long been established that by using the principles of physics, POFs have the capability to function as sensors, detecting strain, temperature and other variables. However, POF applications such as strain and pressure sensing using knitting techniques has since not been very successful due to a number of reasons. Commercially available PMMA-based optical fibers tend to be fragile and susceptible to breakages when subjected to stress during the knitting processes. Also light transmitted within these fibers is prone to leakage due to the curvature that results when optical fibers are interlaced or interlooped within fabric structures.Design/methodology/approachUsing Stoll’s multi-gauge CMS 350 HP knitting machine, five fabric structures namely, 1 × 4 float knit structure, tunnel inlay knit structure, 3:1 fleece fabric and 2:1 fleece fabric structure respectively were used to knit sensor samples. The samples were subsequently tested for length of illumination and sensitivity relative to applied pressure.FindingsThe results of this preliminary study establish that embedding plastic optical fibers into a knitted structure during the fabric formation process for soft strain sensor application possible. The best illumination performance was recorded for tunnel inlay structure which had an average of 94 cm course length of POF being illuminated. Sensor sensitivity experiments also establish that the relative spectral intensity of the fiber is sensitive to both light and pressure. Problems encountered and recommendations for further research have also been discussed and proffered.Research limitations/implicationsDue to resource limitations, an innovative technique (use of precision weight set) was used to apply pressure to the sensors. Consequently, information regarding the extent of corresponding sensor deformation has not been used in this initial analysis.Practical implicationsBecause the fundamental step toward finding a solution to any engineering problem is the acquisition of reliable data, and considering the fact that most of the popular technologies used for soft textile sensors are still bedeviled with the problem of signal instability and noise, the success of this application thus has the tendency to promote the wide spread adoption of POF sensors for smart apparel applications.Originality/valueAs far as research on soft strain sensors is concerned, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to have attempted to knit deformable sensors using commercially available POFs.

Multi-peak soliton dynamics and decoherence via the attenuation effects and trapping potential based on a fractional nonlinear Schrödinger cubic quintic equation in an optical fiber

Fiber optic research continues to develop due to the need for fast information technology. The input signal in an optical fiber is in the form of a soliton wave that propagates in the fiber with a balanced index of refraction, dispersion, and diffraction. Fiber optics may lose some of the signal over time if they solely use a nonlinear refractive index. This study aims to examine into the dynamics and decoherence of multi-peak solitons caused by electromagnetic signal attenuation and potential trap in the propagation via optical fibers. The methods used start with the stationary solution of the nonlinear Schrödinger Cubic Quintic equation, the Newton-Raphson method, and the fourth-order Runge-Kutta. In stationary solutions, the p (state energy) and ρ (Lèvy index) values affect the number, pulse width, and height of soliton peaks. Increased p and ρ values lead to increased instability, causing the data transmitted into the optical fiber to collapse and become unreadable by the receiver. In the excited state (p > 0), the decoherence phenomenon occurs and causes wave instability and destruction. In term of energy intensity, a stable form of transmission in the ground state has a pattern of continuously weakening, decreasing, and smoothing, while in the excited state there is a spike in the intensity of the electromagnetic wave. Based on this study, multi-peak solitons can only be applied for propagation distances, which tend to be short due to their dynamics and decoherence.

Broad-band strain amplification in an asymmetric fault zone observed from borehole optical fiber and core

To unravel fault zone properties, high-resolution imaging and probing are pivotal. Here we present a comprehensive study utilizing Distributed Dynamic Strain Sensing of a 3D array of optical fiber with a surface-to-depth installation, traversing an active fault zone at depth, combined with a geological analysis of drilled cores. We identify an asymmetric fault zone with a narrow fault core, exhibiting a notable amplification in strain rate across a broad-band frequency range, which is attributed to the presence of weak gouge material within a much stronger host rock. This feature heightens responsiveness of the weak fault zone with low rigidity to ground motion, and intensifies strain from both nearby and remote seismic events. We demonstrate that optical fiber facilitates long-term monitoring of ground motion amplification with high spatial resolution, thus indicating where strain and deformation accumulate through repeating ruptures. This progress is pivotal to the understanding of the role of low rigidity and changes thereof within fault gouge material.

Enhanced mutual information neural estimators for optical fiber communication.

The accurate estimation of mutual information (MI) plays a vital role in understanding channel capacity and optimizing the performance of optical communications. While MI computations for the additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel are well-established, they fall short when dealing with the challenges posed by nonlinear optical fiber channels due to an unknown channel model. For the first time, to our knowledge, this Letter introduces a mutual information neural estimator (MINE) for MI estimation in optical fiber communications. We propose an enhanced MINE (E-MINE), achieved by enlarging the training batch size to improve estimation accuracy and stability. Our findings reveal that the E-MINE achieves highly accurate estimations in the AWGN channel and maintains strong consistency with symbol-by-symbol MI estimations, comparable to Monte Carlo (MC) methods based on a Gaussian distribution in long-haul optical fiber channels. Furthermore, with multi-symbol estimation, the E-MINE yields a 0.16 bits/4D-symbol improvement in our experiments. We anticipate that our findings will drive further research in the field, opening new possibilities for enhancing communication systems design and performance using deep learning techniques.

Generation and control of optical rogue waves by super-Gaussian pulses with varying steepness

We investigate the dynamics of optical rogue waves induced by super-Gaussian (SG) pulses in fiber optics. SG pulses with controlled steep leading and trailing edges can produce high-intensity self-focusing when propagating in nonlinear fibers with weak dispersion and strong nonlinearity. We observe the emergence of various rogue waves, including Peregrine breathers, Akhmediev breathers (ABs), and second-order ABs. By adjusting the steepness of the SG pulses, the generation of these rogue waves can be controlled. As the steepness of the SG pulse increases, we find the fundamental-order AB can stably coexist. Simultaneously, we reveal that the period of these ABs can be effectively controlled by adjusting the steepness of the SG pulse. At a certain steepness, the second-order AB with high power can also be observed. We also investigated the propagation of SG pulses with an initial chirp in fiber optics and found that they can also control AB and second-order Peregrine breathers. To our knowledge, our findings present a new approach to generating controllable rogue waves.

Fiber laser irradiation in chemical solution for micro fabrication: Mechanisms and applications

The laser and electrochemical hybrid machining (LECM) could realize high-efficient and quality processing of difficult-to-cut materials and has become a research topic in microfabrication. However, it was difficult to ensure the stability and efficiency of laser transmission in chemical solutions, and an external voltage and auxiliary cathode should be added. In the present study, a novel fiber laser irradiation in chemical solution (LICS) has been proposed to process microstructures. The surface microstructures and chemical composition of the surfaces processed by LICS, laser irradiation in the ultrapure water, and electrochemical machining were compared. In LICS the materials were removed by laser processing and the following high-temperature gradient induced electrochemical dissolution. The high temperature gradient induced electrochemical dissolution could enhance the MRR and improve the surface quality. LICS can be regarded as a novel LECM process. The machining efficiency of LICS had been improved by 46.2 % compared with that laser irradiation in the ultrapure water, and the proportion of laser-induced electrochemical dissolution was 31.6 % in the LICS process. Further, the effects of laser power, chemical solution concentration, and optical fiber end movement control on the processing of micro grooves were explored, considering the dimension, MRR, and surface roughness. A front gap of smaller than 0.8 mm between the optical fiber end and workpiece was recommended during LICS. The repeated feeding of optical fiber was proposed to improve the depth-to-width ratio of the micro grooves fabricated by LICS. Finally, LICS was used to process microstructures with the controlled profiles on the nickel-based superalloy and titanium alloy workpieces without a recast layer, which holds great potential in surface microfabrication and texturing.

Interstitial Optical Fiber-Mediated Multimodal Phototheranostics Based on an Aggregation-Induced NIR-II Emission Luminogen for Orthotopic Breast Cancer Treatment.

One-for-all phototheranostics based on a single molecule is recognized as a convenient approach for cancer treatment, whose efficacy relies on precise lesion localization through multimodal imaging, coupled with the efficient exertion of phototherapy. To unleash the full potential of phototheranostics, advancement in both phototheranostic agents and light delivery methods is essential. Herein, an integrated strategy combining a versatile molecule featuring aggregation-induced emission, namely tBuTTBD, with a modified optical fiber to realize comprehensive tumor diagnosis and "inside-out" irradiation in the orthotopic breast tumor, is proposed for the first time. Attributed to the intense donor-acceptor interaction, highly distorted conformation, abundant molecular rotors, and loose intermolecular packing upon aggregation, tBuTTBD can synchronously undergo second near-infrared (NIR-II) fluorescence emission, photothermal and photodynamic generation under laser irradiation, contributing to a trimodal NIR-II fluorescence-photoacoustic (PA)-photothermal imaging-guided phototherapy. The tumor treatment is further carried out following the insertion of a modified optical fiber, which is fabricated by splicing a flat-end fiber with an air-core fiber. This configuration aims to enable effective in situ phototherapy by maximizing energy utilization for therapeutic benefits. This work not only enriches the palette of NIR-II phototheranostic agents but also provides valuable insight for exploring an integrated phototheranostic protocol for practical cancer treatment.

Stability analysis and soliton solutions of the (1+1)-dimensional nonlinear chiral Schrödinger equation in nuclear physics

The nonlinear Schrödinger equation equation is one of the most important physical models used in optical fiber theory to explain the transmission of an optical soliton. The field of chiral soliton propagation in nuclear physics is very interesting because of its numerous applications in communications and ultra-fast signal routing systems. The (1+1)-dimensional chiral dynamical structure that describes the soliton behaviour in data transmission is dealt with in this work using a variety of in-depth analytical techniques. This work has applications in particle physics, ionised science, nuclear physics, optics, and other applied mathematical sciences. We are able to develop a variety of solutions to demonstrate the behaviour of solitary wave structures, periodic soliton solutions, chiral soliton solutions, and bell-shaped soliton solutions with the use of applied techniques. Moreover, in order to verify the scientific calculations, the stability analysis for the observed solutions of the governing model is taken into consideration. In addition, the 3-dimensional, contour, and 2-dimensional visuals are supplied for a better understanding of the behaviour of the solutions. The employed strategies are dependable, uncomplicated, and effective; yet have not been utilised with the governing model in the literature that is now accessible. The resulting outcomes have impressive applications across a large number of study areas and computational physics phenomena representing real-world scenarios. The methods applied in this model are not utilized on the given models in previous literature so we can say that these describe the novelty of the work.

Improvement of directivity in plasmonic nanoantennas based on structured cubic gold nanoparticles

An array of metallic nanoparticles can diffract or concentrate the incident electromagnetic wave and behave as an antenna. In this paper, the effects of the inner sub-wavelength structure of nanoparticles are studied on the directivity of the plasmonic nanoantenna, which is coated on the output of a waveguide. Three 5*5 element configurations are analyzed: nanocubes, nanoshells, and nanoframes array. Numerical results are obtained using the 3D FDTD technique. The results show that structured nanoantennas can improve the antenna's directivity due to the plasmonic properties and hybridization mechanism. Between the three configurations investigated in the 250–800 nm wavelength range, the nanoshell array exhibits maximum and minimum amounts of its directivity at 321.5 nm and 591 nm, respectively. At 558 nm, nanoframes and nanoshells' arrays show the same amount of directivity, and from the wavelength greater than 558 nm, the nanoframe array has the best performance. The results may help design and fabricate directive optical fiber endcaps.

Optical fiber sensor based on magneto-optical surface plasmon resonance with ultra-high figure of merit

Compared to surface plasmon resonance (SPR), the sensors based on the magneto-optical SPR (MOSPR) technique have much higher figure-of-merit (FOM). However, there are no reports about applying MOSPR in the optical fiber structure now. In this work, a novel D-shaped optical fiber sensor based on the MOSPR technique is proposed. The D-shaped optical fiber is coated with a thin silver film and a magneto-optical (MO) material film of Cerium-doped Yttrium-Iron garnet (CeYIG). By applying a magnetic field on the sensing region, the magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) of the CeYIG layer and the related MOSPR phenomenon could be excited when appropriate light is transmitted in the proposed optical fiber sensor. The influence of the structural parameters including the residual cladding thickness, silver and MO material film thicknesses are analyzed theoretically by the finite element method (FEM). With the optimal parameters, the sensor achieves the sensitivity of 5304 nm RIU−1. Since the peak width of MOSPR spectra is much narrower than that of the SPR spectra, the FOM of the sensor is largely enhanced to 3864 RIU−1 on average and 13260 RIU−1 in maximum, which surpasses the optical fiber SPR sensors vastly. The miniaturized and simple design of the D-shaped optical fiber MOSPR sensor, coupled with the ultra-high FOM, offers itself great potential in biochemical sensing applications.

Ultra-precise, sub-picometer tunable free spectral range in a parabolic microresonator induced by optical fiber bending.

Surface nanoscale axial photonic (SNAP) microresonators are fabricated on silica optical fibers, leveraging silica's outstanding material and mechanical properties. These properties allow for precise control over the microresonators' dimension, shape, and mode structure, a key feature for reconfigurable photonic circuits. Such circuits find applications in high-speed communications, optical computing, and optical frequency combs (OFCs). However, consistently producing SNAP microresonators with equally spaced eigenmodes has remained challenging. In this study, we introduce a method to induce a SNAP microresonator with a parabolic profile. We accomplish this by bending a silica optical fiber in a controlled manner using two linear stages. This approach achieves a uniform free spectral range (FSR) as narrow as 1 pm across more than 45 modes. We further demonstrate that the FSR of the SNAP microresonator can be continuously adjusted over a range nearly as wide as one FSR itself, specifically from 1.09 to 1.72 pm, with a precision of ±0.01 pm and high repeatability. Given its compact size and tuning capability, this SNAP microresonator is highly promising for various applications, including the generation of tunable low-repetition-rate OFC and delay lines.

Exploring the impact of multiplicative white noise on novel soliton solutions with the perturbed Triki–Biswas equation

This study examines the effects of multiplicative white noise on soliton perturbations governed by the Triki–Biswas equation for the first time. Triki–Biswas equation advances research on ultrashort pulse propagation in optical fibers. It modifies the nonlinear Schrödinger equation to describe the behavior of femtosecond pulses more accurately in optical media, becoming a critical tool in the field. The paper employs two innovative methods, the enhanced direct algebraic method and the new projective Riccati equations method to uncover a broad range of soliton solutions, including bright, dark, and singular solitons. The solutions are expressed in terms of Jacobi elliptic functions and exhibit a transition to soliton-type solutions as the elliptic modulus approaches unity. This investigation is the first of its kind to explore the effects of multiplicative white noise within this context, providing new perspectives and methodologies for future research in the field. The study sheds light on previously unexplored aspects of multiplicative white noise and contributes significantly to the body of knowledge in soliton theory and its application to optical fiber technology.

Terminated polymer waveguide with low coupling loss to single-mode fiber for 100 Gbps optical interconnects and beyond

We designed and fabricated terminated polymer waveguides with low coupling loss to a standard single-mode fiber (SSMF) for 100 Gbps optical interconnects application and beyond. The mode field diameter of the polymer waveguide is designed to perfectly match that of the SSMF with a theoretical coupling loss as small as 0.07 dB. The fabricated polymer waveguides on FR-4 substrates exhibit both a low propagation loss of 0.32 dB/cm and a low coupling loss of less than 0.17 dB to SSMF at a wavelength of 1310 nm. These low loss values indicate good compatibilities with both printed circuit boards and fiber optics. Both single-lane 56 Gbaud (112 Gbps) and 60 Gbaud (120 Gbps) 4-level pulse amplitude modulation (PAM4) optical transmission using terminated polymer waveguides have been successfully demonstrated. The bit error ratio (BER) for PAM4 transmission at both data rates reached a level of 10−4 which is well below the forward error correction (FEC) limitation with a power penalty of less than 1 dB. The bandwidth of the test equipment rather than the polymer waveguide itself limits the high-speed optical interconnect performances in our experiments. The results imply that the polymer waveguide is a promising media for single-lane 100 Gbps optical interconnects application and beyond.

Perfect vortex Laguerre-Gauss beams as a carrier in the MMF/FSO communication system

This paper presents a novel, to the best of our knowledge, high-speed transmission system that integrates a new structured light beam, specifically the perfect vortex Laguerre-Gaussian (PVLG) beam, with an optical code division multiple access (OCDMA) system utilizing a premutation vector (PV) code. The PVLG beams are distinguished by their unique shape, which remains nearly invariant during propagation regardless of the azimuthal order of the orbital angular momentum (OAM), facilitating the multiplexing of multiple OAM beams within the same spatial area. Additionally, the system employs hybrid multimode fiber (MMF) and free space optics (FSO) channels, with consideration of foggy weather conditions in the FSO channel. A comparative analysis between the performance of PVLG beams and standard LG beams is conducted. Performance evaluation metrics include the Q-factor, bit error rate (BER), and eye diagrams, providing comprehensive insights into received signal quality. The results demonstrate that the system utilizing PVLG beams outperforms the one using standard LG beams. Specifically, the system achieves a maximum MMF length of 0.35 km with a BER of approximately 10−4 and a Q-factor of around three when the MMF cable channel is used only. For the FSO channel, the achievable ranges are 1.1 km, 0.7 km, and 0.35 km under low fog (LF), medium fog (MF), and high fog (HF) conditions, respectively, maintaining the same BER and Q-factor values. Moreover, the hybrid MMF/FSO channel extends the transmission range to 1.2 km under LF conditions and to 0.45 km under HF conditions, with consistent BER and Q-factor values. Each of the four PVLG beams carries 40 Gbps, resulting in a total transmission capacity of 160 Gbps. Thus, the proposed system is well positioned to meet the high-speed data transmission demands of next-generation 6G networks.

Influence of launch light beam conditions on the bandwidth in multimode graded-index microstructured POFs

The time-dependent power flow equation (TD PFE) is used to theoretically examine the wavelength dependency of the bandwidth in a multimode graded-index microstructured polymer optical fiber (GI mPOF) with a solid core. The TD PFE is numerically solved using the explicit finite difference method (EFDM) and physics-informed neural networks (PINNs). Our numerical results show that the bandwidth decreases with an increasing wavelength from 476 to 522 and finally to 568 nm. With further increasing of the wavelength from 568 to 633 nm, the bandwidth increases. In this way, we have demonstrated that the maximum bandwidth of the analyzed GI mPOF in the analyzed wavelength region is obtained at 633 nm. Such bandwidth behavior is a consequence of the different influences of the analyzed wavelengths on the parameters that characterize the refractive index distribution and the maximum propagating principal mode number of the analyzed GI mPOF. We also showed that, when the radial offset of the incident light beam increases, the bandwidth decreases. This results from a greater modal dispersion when higher guided modes are excited. As a result, based on the observations reported in this work, it is simpler to modify the GI mPOF for a particular application at various wavelengths.

Ultracompact 3D Splitter for Single‐Core to Multi‐Core Optical Fiber Connections Fabricated Through Direct Laser Writing in Polymer

Ultracompact 3D Splitter for Single‐Core to Multi‐Core Optical Fiber Connections Fabricated Through Direct Laser Writing in Polymer

Novel beer bitterness measurement instrument using optical fiber sensor

This paper presents a novel optical fiber sensor for measuring the bitterness of beer samples. The sensor is based on a Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI) composed of two long-period fiber gratings (LPFGs). The sensor exploits the sensitivity of the LPFGs to the refractive index of the surrounding medium, which varies according to the concentration of iso-α-acids that cause bitterness in beer. The sensor uses a two-point on-line self-calibrating procedure to estimate the bitterness of unknown samples by comparison with reference samples of known bitterness. The sensor performance was evaluated in both laboratory and factory settings, showing good repeatability, reproducibility, and low bias. The proposed sensor offers a fast, simple, and low-cost alternative to the conventional method of measuring beer bitterness based on UV spectroscopy. The sensor can be integrated into the Industry 4.0 framework to improve the quality and consistency of beer production.

Optical fiber integrated WGM cylindrical cavity resonator

Optical fiber integrated WGM cylindrical cavity resonator

Enhancement of measurement range of MicroLiDAR with multi-reference paths

The measurement range of the MicroLiDAR was enhanced with multi-reference paths. The multi-reference paths were composed of four paths with polarization maintaining optical fibers, each with different lengths. 50-mm-long measurement range was demonstrated with an oscilloscope with 15-GHz bandwidth. Reducing the time of calculation of the distance, we induced the dual entry method and demonstrated it. The stable distance measurement was demonstrated up to 50 mm.

Ultrasensitive optical fiber SPR sensor enhanced by Au-NPs-film modified with functionalized CQDs for label-free detecting cobalt (II) ion

BackgroundCobalt, an essential trace element, is vital for maintaining human nervous system function, aiding in DNA synthesis, and contributing to red blood cell production. It is helpful for disease diagnosis and treatment plan evaluation by precisely monitoring its concentration changes in the human body. Despite extensive efforts made, due to its ultra-low concentration, the current limit of detection (LOD) as reported is still inadequate and cannot be satisfied with the precise clinical applications. Therefore, it is crucial to develop novel label-free sensors with high sensitivity and excellent selectivity for detecting trace amounts of Co2+. ResultsHere, an ultrasensitive optical fiber SPR sensor was designed and fabricated for label-free detection of Co2+ with ultra-low concentration. It is achieved by modifying the carboxyl-functionalized CQDs on the AuNPs/Au film-coated hetero-core fiber, which can specifically capture the Co2+, leading to changes in the fiber's surface refractive index (RI) and subsequent SPR wavelength shifts in the transmission spectrum. Both the Au film and AuNPs on the fiber are modified with CQDs, leveraging their large surface area to enhance the number of active sites and probes. The sensor exhibits an ultra-high sensitivity of approximately 6.67 × 1019 nm/M, and the LOD is obtained as low as 5.36 × 10−20 M which is several orders of magnitude lower compared to other conventional methods. It is also experimentally demonstrated that the sensor possesses excellent specificity, stability, and repeatability, which may be adapted for detecting real clinical samples. SignificanceThe CQDs-functionalized optical fiber SPR sensor exhibits substantial potential for precisely detecting Co2+ of trace amounts, which is especially vital for scarce clinical samples. Additionally, the sensing platform with sample sensor fabrication and measurement configuration introduces a novel, highly sensitive approach to biochemical analysis, particularly adapting for applications involving the detection of trace targets, which could also be employed to detect various biochemical targets by facile modification of CQDs with specific groups or biomolecules.