Abstract
Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a technique that leverages atomic emission towards element identification and quantification. While the potential of the technology is vast, it still struggles with obstacles such as the variability of the technique. In recent years, several methods have exploited modifications to the standard implementation to work around this problem, mostly focused on the laser side to increase the signal-to-noise ratio of the emission. In this paper, we explore the effect of pulse duration on the detected signal intensity using a tunable LIBS system that consists of a versatile fiber laser, capable of emitting square-shaped pulses with a duration ranging from 10 to 100 ns. Our results show that, by tuning the duration of the pulse, it is possible to increase the signal-to-noise ratio of relevant elemental emission lines, an effect that we relate with the computed plasma temperature and associated density for the ion species. Despite the limitations of the work due to the low-resolution and small range of the spectrometer used, the preliminary results pave an interesting path towards the design of controllable LIBS systems that can be tailored to increase the signal-to-noise ratio and thus be useful for the deployment of more sensitive instruments both for qualitative and quantitative purposes. © 2022, Universidade do Porto - Faculdade de Engenharia. All rights reserved.

Abstract
Optical Fiber Tweezers (OFT) can be used to study manifestations of light-matter interactions and deduce properties of micron-sized bioparticles trapped within its laser focal point. Our group has previously co-invented an innovative approach for this purpose based on advanced optical signal processing named iLoF-intelligent Lab on Fiber- with very relevant results revealing it is possible to create a variety of time and frequency magnitude features for label-free and non-invasive optical fiber sensing technologies. Nevertheless, phase spectra has been neglected in these photonics approaches. In this context, we present an exploratory study on informative content extraction from phase of OFT back-scattering signals. Furthermore, we analyze if these phase features provide better discriminative performance when compared spectrum magnitude ones previously used by the iLoF technology. The phase spectrum of back-scattering signals showed to retain patterns related to the intrinsic properties of each particle and the derived set of features proved to be robust to detect and discriminate from synthetic microparticles to highly similar cancer-derived mammalian cells, with better discriminative potential than their previous magnitude spectral counterparts. Such results introduce phase as a potential new domain to obtain discriminative light pattern features from OFT systems applied to micron-sized particles detection. The high sensitivity of the analyzed phase features to different micron-sized bioparticles, namely cancer-associated glycoforms, presents great potential for future applications in point-of-care diagnosis, such as detection and identification of molecules circulating in the blood or its derivatives with important clinical outcomes.

Abstract
One of the caveats of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy technique is the performance for quantification purposes, in particular when the matrix of the sample is complex or the problem spans over a wide range of concentrations. These two questions are key issues for geology applications including ore grading in mining operations and typically lead to sub-optimal results. In this work, we present the implementation of a class of clustered regression calibration algorithms, that previously search the sample space looking for similar samples before employing a linear calibration model that is trained for that cluster. For a case study involving lithium quantification in three distinct exploration drills, the obtained results demonstrate that building local models can improve the performance of standard linear models in particular in the lower concentration region. Furthermore, we show that the models generalize well for unseen data of exploration drills on distinct rock veins, which can motivate not only further research on this class of methods but also technological applications for similar mining environments.

Abstract
Relative humidity (RH) monitorization is of extreme importance on scientific and industrial applications, and optical fiber sensors (OFS) may provide adequate solutions. Typically, these kinds of sensors depend on the usage of humidity responsive polymers, thus creating the need for the characterization of the optical and expansion properties of these materials. Four different polymers, namely poly(vinyl alcohol), poly(ethylene glycol), Hydromed (TM) D4 and microbiology agar were characterized and tested using two types of optical sensors. First, optical fiber Fabry-Perot (FP) tips were made, which allow the dynamical measurement of the polymers' response to RH variations, in particular of refractive index, film thickness, and critical deliquescence RH. Using both FP tips and Long-Period fiber gratings, the polymers were then tested as RH sensors, allowing a comparison between the different polymers and the different OFS. For the case of the FP sensors, the PEG tips displayed excellent sensitivity above 80%RH, outperforming the other polymers. In the case of LPFGs, the 10% (wt/wt) PVA one displayed excellent sensitivity in a larger working range (60 to 100%RH), showing a valid alternative to lower RH environment sensing.

Abstract
Long period fiber gratings coated with TiO2 and poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (PEVA), a polymeric structure permeable biogenic amines found in foodstuff, were used to detect these compounds through the wavelength shift of its attenuation band. © 2022 The Author(s).

Abstract
In this study, an interrogation system based on an erbium-doped fiber ring cavity for refractive index measurements is presented and experimentally demonstrated. This cavity ring includes a 1 x 3 coupler wherein one of the fiber output ports is used to increase the optical power of the system by means of an FBG used as a reflector. The other two output ports are used as a refractive index sensing head and reference port, respectively. An experimental demonstration of this proposed sensor system for the measurement of a distinct refractive index is presented.