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At least 163 records · Page 9

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS2000

Multimode-Optical-Fiber Imaging Probe

Currently, endoscopic surgery uses single-mode fiber-bundles to obtain in vivo image information inside orifices of the body. This limits their use to the larger natural bodily orifices and to surgical procedures where there is plenty of room for manipulation. The knee joint, for example can be easily viewed with a fiber optic viewer, but joints in the finger cannot. However, there are a host of smaller orifices where fiber endoscopy would play an important role if a cost effective fiber probe were developed with small enough dimensions (< 250 microns). Examples of beneficiaries of micro-endoscopes are the treatment of the Eustatian tube of the middle ear, the breast ducts, tear ducts, coronary arteries, fallopian tubes, as well as the treatment of salivary duct parotid disease, and the neuro endoscopy of the ventricles and spinal canal. To solve this problem, this work describes an approach for recovering images from. tightly confined spaces using multimode fibers and analytically demonstrates that the concept is sound. The proof of concept draws upon earlier works that concentrated on image recovery after two-way transmission through a multimode fiber as well as work that demonstrated the recovery of images after one-way transmission through a multimode fiber. Both relied on generating a phase conjugated wavefront which was predistorted with the characteristics of the fiber. The described approach also relies on generating a phase conjugated wavefront, but utilizes two fibers to capture the image at some intermediate point (accessible by the fibers, but which is otherwise visually unaccessible).

Jackson, Deborah↗

NASA NTRS2008

Single-Mode WGM Resonators Fabricated by Diamond Turning

A diamond turning process has made possible a significant advance in the art of whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) optical resonators. By use of this process, it is possible to fashion crystalline materials into WGM resonators that have ultrahigh resonance quality factors (high Q values), are compact (ranging in size from millimeters down to tens of microns), and support single electromagnetic modes. This development combines and extends the developments reported in "Few- Mode Whispering-Gallery-Mode Resonators" (NPO-41256), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 30, No. 1 (January 2006), page 16a and "Fabrication of Submillimeter Axisymmetric Optical Components" (NPO-42056), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 31, No. 5 (May 2007), page 10a. To recapitulate from the first cited prior article: A WGM resonator of this special type consists of a rod, made of a suitable transparent material, from which protrudes a thin circumferential belt of the same material. The belt is integral with the rest of the rod and acts as a circumferential waveguide. If the depth and width of the belt are made appropriately small, then the belt acts as though it were the core of a single-mode optical fiber: the belt and the rod material adjacent to it support a single, circumferentially propagating mode or family of modes. To recapitulate from the second cited prior article: A major step in the fabrication of a WGM resonator of this special type is diamond turning or computer numerically controlled machining of a rod of a suitable transparent crystalline material on an ultrahigh-precision lathe. During the rotation of a spindle in which the rod is mounted, a diamond tool is used to cut the rod. A computer program is used to control stepping motors that move the diamond tool, thereby controlling the shape cut by the tool. Because the shape can be controlled via software, it is possible to choose a shape designed to optimize a resonator spectrum, including, if desired, to limit the resonator to supporting a single mode. After diamond turning, a resonator can be polished to increase its Q. By virtue of its largely automated, computer-controlled nature, the process is suitable for mass production of nominally identical single-mode WGM resonators. In a demonstration of the capabilities afforded by this development, a number of WGM resonators of various designs were fabricated side by side on the surface of a single CaF2 rod (see figure).

Grudinin, Ivan↗

NASA NTRS1980

Integrated optic waveguide devices

Integrated optic waveguide circuits with a phase bias and modulator on the same chip were designed, fabricated, and tested for use in a fiber-optic rotation sensor (gyro) under development. Single mode fiber-optic pigtails were permanently coupled to the four ports of the chip. The switch format was based on coherent coupling between waveguides formed in Z-cut LiNbO3. The control of the coupling was achieved by electro-optically varying the phase propagation constants of each guide. Fiber-to-chip interfacing required the development of appropriate fixturing and manipulation techniques to achieve the close tolerance needed for high coupling efficiency between a fiber with an approximately 5 micron m core and a channel guide with a roughly 2 micron m by 5 micron m cross section. Switch and chip performance at 0.85 micron m is discussed as well as potential improvements related to insertion loss reduction, switching voltages, and suppression of Li2O out-diffusion.

Ramer, O. G.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Holographic matched filter for full-field in-line signal processing of optical-fiber sensor outputs

A holographic matched filter is used to measure the changes in the output of a dual-mode fiber undergoing axial strain. The hologram is formed by interfering collimated light from a single-mode reference fiber and an unstrained dual-mode sensor fiber on a small piece of holographic material. When the hologram is illuminated by the strained sensor fiber, the cross-correlation field comparing the dual-mode output and its previous state, as recorded in the hologram, is collected, focused into a pick-up fiber, and sent to a photodiode. This arrangement allows for a compact, in-line method for full-field processing of the strain-induced changes in phase and amplitude in the sensor fiber. Other uses of such fiber-based correlators are suggested.

Indebetouw, Guy↗

DOE OSTI2021

Phase-Sensitive Optical Time Domain Reflectometry With Rayleigh Enhanced Optical Fiber

In this paper, a phase-sensitive optical time domain reflectometry (Φ-OTDR) based on Rayleigh enhanced optical fiber is proposed to improve the system signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). In the experiment, the vibration performance of the Rayleigh enhanced optical fiber is analyzed and compared with standard single-mode telecom fiber. The results demonstrate that the measured SNRs of peaks in frequency spectra have been improved by 14 dB (at 1 kHz vibration frequency) at the end of the 2 km specialty sensing fiber. A wide range of vibration frequencies from 50 Hz to 15 kHz are demonstrated experimentally. The proposed method overcomes the inherent limitations of the conventional Φ-OTDR system and significantly enhances the vibration sensing performance.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

NASA NTRS1981

Detection of acoustic emission in composites by optical fiber interferometry

Acoustic emission in prestressed composite panels using embedded single mode optical fiber was detected. Static loading of the composite matrix produces acoustic emission events, pulsed ultrasonic waves, which mechanically modulate the embedded fiber geometry and phase modulate the transmitted optical field. The modulation is detected by optical interferometry and Fourier optical processing techniques to produce an electronic signal proportional to acoustic field amplitude integrated along the length of the fiber in the specimen. Static and dynamic calibration of the detection system is discussed and frequency domain characterization of the acoustic field interaction with the fiber is presented.

Wade, J. C.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Fabrication Of Fiber-Optic Waveguide Coupler

Technique for making four-port, single-mode fiber-optic waveguide couplers requires no critically-precise fabrication operations or open-loop processes. Waveguide couplers analogous to beam-splitter prisms. Essential in many applications that require coherent separation or combination of two waves; for example, for interferometric purposes. Components of optical waveguide coupler held by paraffin on microscope slide while remaining cladding of two optical fibers fused together by arc welding.

Goss, Willis↗

DOE OSTI2021

Pipeline Monitoring Using Highly Sensitive Vibration Sensor Based on Fiber Ring Cavity Laser

A vibration fiber sensor based on a fiber ring cavity laser and an interferometer based single-mode-multimode-single-mode (SMS) fiber structure is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The SMS fiber sensor is positioned within the laser cavity, where the ring laser lasing wavelength can be swept to an optimized wavelength using a simple fiber loop design. To obtain a better signal-to-noise ratio, the ring laser lasing wavelength is tuned to the maximum gain region biasing point of the SMS transmission spectrum. A wide range of vibration frequencies from 10 Hz to 400 kHz are experimentally demonstrated. In addition, the proposed highly sensitive vibration sensor system was deployed in a field-test scenario for pipeline acoustic emission monitoring. An SMS fiber sensor is mounted on an 18” diameter pipeline, and vibrations were induced at different locations using a piezoelectric transducer. The proposed method was shown to be capable of real-time pipeline vibration monitoring.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

NASA NTRS2006

Pointing Reference Scheme for Free-Space Optical Communications Systems

A scheme is proposed for referencing the propagation direction of the transmit laser signal in pointing a free-space optical communications terminal. This recently developed scheme enables the use of low-cost, commercial silicon-based sensors for tracking the direction of the transmit laser, regardless of the transmit wavelength. Compared with previous methods, the scheme offers some advantages of less mechanical and optical complexity and avoids expensive and exotic sensor technologies. In free-space optical communications, the transmit beam must be accurately pointed toward the receiver in order to maintain the communication link. The current approaches to achieve this function call for part of the transmit beam to be split off and projected onto an optical sensor used to infer the pointed direction. This requires that the optical sensor be sensitive to the wavelength of the transmit laser. If a different transmit wavelength is desired, for example to obtain a source capable of higher data rates, this can become quite impractical because of the unavailability or inefficiency of sensors at these wavelengths. The innovation proposed here decouples this requirement by allowing any transmit wavelength to be used with any sensor. We have applied this idea to a particular system that transmits at the standard telecommunication wavelength of 1,550 nm and uses a silicon-based sensor, sensitive from 0.5 to 1.0 micrometers, to determine the pointing direction. The scheme shown in the figure involves integrating a low-power 980-nm reference or boresight laser beam coupled to the 1,550-nm transmit beam via a wavelength-division-multiplexed fiber coupler. Both of these signals propagate through the optical fiber where they achieve an extremely high level of co-alignment before they are launched into the telescope. The telescope uses a dichroic beam splitter to reflect the 980- nm beam onto the silicon image sensor (a quad detector, charge-coupled device, or active-pixel-sensor array) while the 1,550- nm signal beam is transmitted through the optical assembly toward the remotely located receiver. Since the 980-nm reference signal originates from the same single-mode fiber-coupled source as the transmit signal, its position on the sensor is used to accurately determine the propagation direction of the transmit signal. The optics are considerably simpler in the proposed scheme due to the use of a single aperture for transmitting and receiving. Moreover, the issue of mechanical misalignment does not arise because the reference signal and transmitted laser beams are inherently co-aligned. The beam quality of the 980-nm reference signal used for tracking is required to be circularly symmetric and stable at the tracking-plane sensor array in order to minimize error in the centroiding algorithm of the pointing system. However, since the transmit signal is delivered through a fiber that supports a single mode at 1,550 nm, propagation of higher order 980-nm modes is possible. Preliminary analysis shows that the overall mode profile is dominated by the fundamental mode, giving a near symmetric profile. The instability of the mode was also measured and found to be negligible in comparison to the other error contributions in the centroid position on the sensor array.

Wright, Malcolm↗

NASA NTRS2010

Evaluation of Small Form Factor Fiber Optic Interconnects for the NASA Electronics Parts and Packaging Program (NEPP)

The Diamond AVIM optical fiber connector has been used for over a decade in flight environments. AVIM which stands for Aviation Intermediate Maintenance is always referenced as a fiber optic connector type from the DIN (Deutsches Institut fur Normung) family of optical fiber connectors. The newly available Mini AVIM and DMI (Definition Multimedia Interface) connectors also by Diamond provide similar features as the high performance AVIM with the added benefits of being small form factor for board mount and internal box use where long connectors and strain relief can not be accommodated. Transceiver, fiber laser technology and receiver optic technology based on small sized constraints will benefit the most by the reduction in connector form factor. It is for this reason that the Mini AVIM is being evaluated for multimode and single mode optical fiber use in both fiber based and cable based packaging configurations. In a fiber based termination, there are no cable materials to bond to the connector. The only bonding that is conducted is the mounting of the fiber with epoxy to the connector ferrules (which are called DMI ferrules). In a cable configuration, the compatibility of the connector subcomponents along with the upjacketing materials of the cable around the fiber needs to be considered carefully for termination fabrication. Cabled terminations will show greater insertion loss and high probability of failures during thermal cycling testing. This is due to the stressing of the combination of materials that each have different Coefficients of Thermal Expansion (CTE's) and that are bonded together to the connector subcomponents. As the materials flex during thermal excursions, forces are applied to the termination and can make the system fail if the grouping of materials (per their CTE's) are not compatible and this includes cable materials, epoxies, ferrule and connector body components. For this evaluation, multimode 100 micron core step index fiber was used for the fiber terminated condition, and single mode SMF-28 upjacketed with W.L. Gore Flexlite was used for the cabled configuration. For background purposes, a comparison is presented here for information purposes between the high performance AVIM connector features and the Mini AVIM small form factor connectors. Basic connector features are described here.

Ott, Melanie↗

NASA NTRS1987

Fiber-linked telescope arrays on the ground and in space

The use of single-mode optical fibers in telescope arrays, first proposed for a set of free-flying spacecraft, is developed and applied to more modest, shorter range projects. The basic advantage remains a considerable simplification in the control system; the main limitation is spectral range. Two proposals are described: a ground-based array of small optical telescopes supported on a radio dish, and a similar space array. The control system is almost the same in both cases, hence the ground-based array can be considered a test-bench for the space device.

Connes, P.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Effect of laser frequency noise on fiber-optic frequency reference distribution

The effect of the linewidth of a single longitude-mode laser on the frequency stability of a frequency reference transmitted over a single-mode optical fiber is analyzed. The interaction of the random laser frequency deviations with the dispersion of the optical fiber is considered to determine theoretically the effect on the Allan deviation (square root of the Allan variance) of the transmitted frequency reference. It is shown that the magnitude of this effect may determine the limit of the ultimate stability possible for frequency reference transmission on optical fiber, but is not a serious limitation to present system performance.

Logan, R. T., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Fiber-Optic Terahertz Data-Communication Networks

Network protocols implemented in optical domain. Fiber-optic data-communication networks utilize fully available bandwidth of single-mode optical fibers. Two key features of method: use of subpicosecond laser pulses as carrier signals and spectral phase modulation of pulses for optical implementation of code-division multiple access as multiplexing network protocol. Local-area network designed according to concept offers full crossbar functionality, security of data in transit through network, and capacity about 100 times that of typical fiber-optic local-area network in current use.

Chua, Peter L.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Mid-infrared difference-frequency generation source pumped by 1.1-1.5 micrometer dual-wavelength fiber amplifier for trace-gas detection

Continuous-wave mid-infrared radiation near 3.5 micrometers is generated by difference-frequency mixing of the output of a compact 1.1-1.5 micrometer dual-wavelength fiber amplifier in periodically poled LiNbO3. The diode side-pumped amplifier is constructed with double-cladding Yb-doped fiber followed by single-mode Er/Yb codoped fiber. Output powers of as much as 11 microW at 3.4 micrometers are obtained, and spectroscopic detection of CH4 and H2CO is demonstrated. c 1998 Optical Society of America.

Non-NASA Center↗

DOE OSTI2020

Integrating Radio-Over-Fiber Communication System and BOTDR Sensor System

In this paper, we propose and experimentally demonstrate for the first time, the integration of a radio-over-fiber (RoF) communication system and a Brillouin optical time-domain reflectometry (BOTDR) distributed sensor system using a single optical fiber link. In this proof-of-concept integrated system, the communication system is composed of three modulation formats of quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK), 16-quadrature amplitude modulation (16-QAM) and 64-QAM, which are modulated onto an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal. Whereas, the BOTDR sensor system is used for strain and/or temperature monitoring over the fiber distance with a spatial resolution of 5 m using a 25 km single-mode silica fiber. The error vector magnitude (EVM) is analyzed in three modulation formats in the presence of various BOTDR input pump powers. Using QPSK modulation, optimized 18 dBm sensing and 10 dBm data power, the measured EVM values with and without bandpass filter are 3.5% and 14.5%, respectively. The proposed system demonstrates a low temperature measurement error (±0.49 °C at the end of 25 km) and acceptable EVM values, which were within the 3GPP requirements. The proposed integrated system can be effectively applied for practical applications, which significantly reduces the fiber infrastructure cost by effective usage of a single optical fiber link.

42 ENGINEERING↗

NASA NTRS1979

Fiber optic rotation sensor /FORS/ signal detection and processing

The recent development of low-loss single-mode optical fiber waveguides for light has made possible a new class of inertial reference devices built on the principle of a closed loop interferometer. Light circulating through the loop in both directions experiences a relative phase delay proportional to rotation rate about the loop axis. This paper derives the phase delay and discusses signal detection, signal processing techniques and error sources. It is concluded that synchronous modulation and demodulation and an active gain control at the signal calculation level are required to eliminate drift errors. Potential performance is extraordinarily good; rotation rate sensitivity of a few milli-arc seconds per second and angular position random walk errors of an arc second per square root hour appear feasible.

Goss, W. C.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Fiber optic rotation sensor /FORS/ laboratory performance evaluation

A single axis rotation sensor, utilizing a 200 m single mode optical fiber in a 30 cm diameter coil has been constructed and tested in the laboratory. A He-Ne laser is the light source for the Sagnac interferometer-mode sensor. The outputs of Si detectors viewing two complementary interference patterns are electronically differenced to obtain a rotation-dependent signal. Linear response over a rotation rate range of about 0.0001 to 0.1 rad/sec was obtained.

Goldstein, R.↗

NASA NTRS1983

An all fiber-optic sensor for surface acoustic wave measurements

A surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor constructed from single-mode fiber-optic components is described. An analysis of reciprocal and nonreciprocal modes of operation of the sensor is presented. Results from measurements on a variety of SAW devices illustrate the use of the sensor. The amplitude sensitivity is 0.0003 A for an integration time of 0.1 s.

Bowers, J. E.↗