Abstract
This work reports a new type of optical fiber tweezers based on polymeric micro-lenses. The lenses are achieved by means of an economical and fast fabrication process, using an in-fiber photo-polymerization technique. The polymerization radiation is guided towards the fiber tip creating a polymeric waveguide. The method allows tailoring the geometry of the tip by adjusting the fabrication parameters. Furthermore, more complex shapes can be fabricated by exploring modal effects at the polymerization/trapping wavelengths, which can be used for different applications such as trapping, beam shaping and patterned illumination.

Abstract
An effective analytical model combining geometrical optics with the transfer-matrix theory for stratified optical media is applied to investigate the sensing properties of tapered optical fiber surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors incorporating Ag-Au bimetallic layers, particularly in the context of phase interrogation. The performance of the sensing structures is studied as a function of the tapering parameters and thickness of the metallic layers. It is shown that the Ag-Au bimetallic combination is capable of improving the resolution and tuning working region of SPR fiber-optic sensors and that by tapering the sensing structures enhanced sensitivity can be achieved when phase interrogation is considered.

Abstract
Optical fiber sensors based on the phenomenon of plasmonic resonance can be interrogated applying different methods, the most common one being the spectral approach where the measurand information is derived from the reading of the wavelength resonance dip. In principle, a far better performance can be achieved considering the reading of the phase of the light at a specific wavelength located within the spectral plasmonic resonance. This approach is investigated in this work for surface plasmon based fiber optic sensors with overlays which are combinations of bimetallic layers, permitting not only to tune the wavelength of the plasmon resonance but also the sensitivity associated with the phase interrogation of the sensors. The metals considered for the present analysis are silver, gold, copper, and aluminum.

Abstract
In this paper three highly birefringent (HiBi) spun photonic crystal fibers (PCF) are fabricated and their performance are characterized for electrical current measurement. These fibers are tested by coiling them around an electric conductor using three distinct winding diameters with different turns. The results present a very good linear relation with the current and its sensitivity depends on the winding diameter and on the number of turns. For the larger winding diameter, the fiber with lower circular pitch had higher sensitivity and for the smaller winding diameter the best sensitivity result was for the fiber with higher circular pitch.

Abstract
In this work a simultaneous strain and temperature sensor based on a suspended core fiber is proposed. The sensor comprises a 3mm suspended core PCF between SMFs and is based on the combination of two multimodal interferences with different frequency fringe patterns. The interference of the both signal has different sensitivity responses to strain and temperature. Thought a low-pass frequency filtering of the detected spectrum, the wavelength shift of the two interferences can be measured allowing the discrimination of strain and temperature simultaneously. The resolutions of this sensor are 0.45 degrees C and 4.02 mu epsilon.

Abstract
Interferometric fiber optic based sensors, namely those based on the Fabry-Perot (F-P) configuration seem very attractive for biomechanical and biomedical applications. The present study is focused on the proof of concept of two developed FP based sensors, for high and low pressure measurements of fluids. For low pressure sensor, it was used a polymeric diaphragm in a microstrutured fiber. It was obtained a good agreement between wavelength shift and the pressure, for the two tested sensors.