Multimode fiber sensing by using mean-absolute speckle-intensity variation

Quantitative strain sensing in a multimode fiber using dual frequency speckle pattern tracking

We report an amplitude-measuring multimode fiber sensor capable of making quantitative strain measurements and extracting the algebraic sign of the strain. The Rayleigh-based sensor probes the fiber with pulses of alternating optical frequency and records the backscattered speckle patterns on a high-speed camera. We show that measuring the change in the speckle pattern induced by a change in optical frequency provides a form of in situ calibration, enabling the sensor to recover the magnitude and algebraic sign of the strain. The sensor, which can be positioned anywhere along 2 km of fiber, has a linear strain response, a 10 kHz bandwidth, and a strain noise of ${10.2}\;{\rm p}\unicode{x03B5} /\surd {{\rm Hz}} $10.2pε/√Hz.

Speckle-based strain sensing in multimode fiber

The diversity of spatial modes present within a multimode fiber has been exploited for a wide variety of imaging and sensing applications. Here, we show that this diversity of modes can also be used to perform quantitative strain sensing by measuring the amplitude of the Rayleigh backscattered speckle pattern in a multimode fiber. While most Rayleigh based fiber sensors use single mode fiber, multimode fiber has the potential to provide lower noise due to the higher capture fraction of Rayleigh scattered light, higher non-linear thresholds, and the ability to avoid signal fading by measuring many spatial modes simultaneously. Moreover, while amplitude measuring single mode fiber based Rayleigh sensors cannot provide quantitative strain information, the backscattered speckle pattern formed in a multimode fiber contains enough information to extract a linear strain response. Here, we show that by tracking the evolution of the backscattered speckle pattern, the sensor provides a linear strain response and is immune to signal fading. The sensor has a noise floor of 2.9 pɛ/√Hz, a dynamic range of 74 dB at 1 kHz, and bandwidth of 20 kHz. This work paves the way for a new class of fiber optic sensors with a simplified design and enhanced performance.

Snapshot fiber spectral imaging using speckle correlations and compressive sensing

Snapshot spectral imaging is rapidly gaining interest for remote sensing applications. Acquiring spatial and spectral data within one image promotes fast measurement times, and reduces the need for stabilized scanning imaging systems. Many current snapshot technologies, which rely on gratings or prisms to characterize wavelength information, are difficult to reduce in size for portable hyperspectral imaging. Here, we show that a multicore multimode fiber can be used as a compact spectral imager with sub-nanometer resolution, by encoding spectral information within a monochrome CMOS camera. We characterize wavelength-dependent speckle patterns for up to 3000 fiber cores over a broad wavelength range. A clustering algorithm is employed in combination with l₁-minimization to limit data collection at the acquisition stage for the reconstruction of spectral images that are sparse in the wavelength domain. We also show that in the non-compressive regime these techniques are able to accurately reconstruct broadband information.

Fiber-Optic Surface Temperature Sensor Based on Modal Interference

Spatially-integrated surface temperature sensing is highly useful when it comes to controlling processes, detecting hazardous conditions or monitoring the health and safety of equipment and people. Fiber-optic sensing based on modal interference has shown great sensitivity to temperature variation, by means of cost-effective image-processing of few-mode interference patterns. New developments in the field of sensor configuration, as described in this paper, include an innovative cooling and heating phase discrimination functionality and more precise measurements, based entirely on the image processing of interference patterns. The proposed technique was applied to the measurement of the integrated surface temperature of a hollow cylinder and compared with a conventional measurement system, consisting of an infrared camera and precision temperature probe. As a result, the optical technique is in line with the reference system. Compared with conventional surface temperature probes, the optical technique has the following advantages: low heat capacity temperature measurement errors, easier spatial deployment, and replacement of multiple angle infrared camera shooting and the continuous monitoring of surfaces that are not visually accessible.

Investigation on sensitivity enhancement for optical fiber speckle sensors

We present a detailed theoretical and experimental study on the sensitivity enhancement for multimode fiber (MMF) speckle sensor. Using mode coupling theory, we derive an expression showing that the sensitivity of the MMF speckle sensor depends on the intensity profile of the MMF modes. Particularly, we use our theory to study the influence of the spatial filtering window on the sensitivity, and the experimental results have found a good agreement with the theory. Our results suggest that the sensitivity of an MMF speckle sensor can be greatly enhanced by adjusting the size and location of the spatial filtering window. An 80-fold improvement on sensitivity was achieved in our experiment, as compared with the conventional MMF speckle sensor with the filtering window placed at the center of the speckle field.

All-fiber spectrometer based on speckle pattern reconstruction

A standard multimode optical fiber can be used as a general purpose spectrometer after calibrating the wavelength dependent speckle patterns produced by interference between the guided modes of the fiber. A transmission matrix was used to store the calibration data and a robust algorithm was developed to reconstruct an arbitrary input spectrum in the presence of experimental noise. We demonstrate that a 20 meter long fiber can resolve two laser lines separated by only 8 pm. At the other extreme, we show that a 2 centimeter long fiber can measure a broadband continuous spectrum generated from a supercontinuum source. We investigate the effect of the fiber geometry on the spectral resolution and bandwidth, and also discuss the additional limitation on the bandwidth imposed by speckle contrast reduction when measuring dense spectra. Finally, we demonstrate a method to reduce the spectrum reconstruction error and increase the bandwidth by separately imaging the speckle patterns of orthogonal polarizations. The multimode fiber spectrometer is compact, lightweight, low cost, and provides high resolution with low loss.

Specklegram in a multiple-mode fiber and its dependence on longitudinal modes of the laser source

A specklegram in a multimode fiber (MMF) has successfully been used as a sensor for detecting external disturbance. Our experiments showed that the sensitivity in the sensor with a multiple longitudinal-mode laser as its source was much higher than that with a single longitudinal-mode laser. In addition, the near-field pattern observations indicated that the coupling between different transverse modes in the MMF is quite weak. Based on the experimental results, a theoretical model for the speckle formation is proposed, taking a bend-caused phase factor into consideration. It is shown in the theoretical analysis that the interferences between different longitudinal modes make a larger contribution to the specklegram signals.

Enhancement of the wavelength selectivity of a volume hologram by use of multimode optical fiber referencing

Wavelength multiplexing of a volume hologram was combined with multimode fiber referencing. A photorefractive volume hologram was recorded and probed by reference light diffracted from a multimode optical fiber. A tunable laser diode was used as a light source that was launched into the multimode fiber. As the wavelength of the source laser shifted, the speckle patterns from the multimode fiber changed. The wavelength selectivity of the volume hologram was enhanced by the combined effect of wavelength change and speckle change.

Impact and vibration detection in composite materials by using intermodal interference in multimode optical fibers

An optical fiber sensor based on the intermodal interference principle is integrated in a composite material to detect impacts and vibrations. Six fibers are integrated at the top of a carbon/epoxy composite panel so as to form a grid into the structure. Spectral and temporal responses to impacts and acoustic vibrations of the sensor are compared with a piezoelectric accelerometer. The tests proved the facility of integration and the high sensitivity of the device. The location of impacts is performed with this arrangement by measuring the arrival times of the front waves to the fibers.

Temperature-compensated fiber specklegram strain sensing with an adaptive joint transform correlator

A temperature-compensated fiber specklegram strain sensor with an adaptive joint transform correlator (JTC) is presented. By exploiting the dual-channel correlation of the fiber specklegram JTC, we can measure the temperature-compensated strain. Experimental results have shown that the strain sensitivity can be as high as 0.1 µstrain/1°C.

Dynamic fiber specklegram sensing

We introduce a concept of dynamic sensing that uses fiber speckle fields. By autonomously updating the fiber speckle patterns (i.e., using a moving reference to perform frame-to-frame comparison) on an electronically addressable spatial light modulator, we can exploit the dynamic fiber status. In other words, by joint transforming the rapidly changing speckle patterns from a sensing fiber, we can determine the dynamic aspects of the fiber status. For demonstration, dynamic displacement sensing is illustrated in which we have observed that the rate change and the trend of the fiber perturbation can indeed be detected. We note that the dynamic sensing technique can be applied to a variety of sensing parameters, e.g., strain, stress, temperature, and possibly seismic monitoring.