Abstract
It is presented an optical fiber sensing system projected to operate in the demanding conditions associated with coal waste piles in combustion. Distributed temperature measurement and spot gas sensing are requirements for such a system. A field prototype has been installed and is continuously gathering data, which will input a geological model of the coal waste piles in combustion aiming to understand their dynamics and evolution. Results are presented on distributed temperature and ammonia measurement, being noticed any significant methane emission in the short time period considered. Carbon dioxide is also a targeted gas for measurement, with validated results available soon. The assessment of this technology as an effective and reliable tool to address the problem of monitoring coal waste piles in combustion opens the possibility of its widespread application in view of the worldwide presence of coal related fires.

Abstract
This work describes an in-fiber Michelson interferometer inclinometer which is sensitive to curvature applied in the tapered region. The performance of this inclinometer is evaluated by calculating the variation of the fringe visibility near the 1550 nm spectral range as a function of the tilt angle. It is presented the results of four experimental measurements and calculated the average and standard deviation of those measurements. The results indicate a good response of the sensor within the angular range between 3 degrees and 6 degrees. The average of those four measurements is around -0.15/degrees and the greatest standard deviation is about 5.5%.

Abstract
In this work, a Fabry-Perot optical fiber sensor for the measurement of strain at extreme temperatures is proposed. The cavity is formed by splicing a short section of a silica tube between two sections of single mode fiber. The tube, with a cladding similar to 14 mu m thick and a hollow core, presents four small rods, of similar to 20 mu m in diameter each, positioned in in diametrically opposite positions. This design ensures higher mechanical stability of the tube. Strain measurements are performed over a wide range of temperatures, until 900 degrees C. Some of the annealing effects are addressed in this study.

Abstract
Monitoring the quality of high refractive index edible oils is of great importance for the human health. Uncooked edible oils in general are healthy foodstuff, olive oil in particular, however, they are frequently used for baking and cooking. High quality edible oils are made from seeds, nuts or fruits by mechanical processes. Nevertheless, once the mechanical extraction is complete, up to 15% of the oil remains in oil pomace and in the mill wastewater, which can be extracted using organic solvents, often hexane. Optical fiber sensors based on long period fiber gratings (LPFG) have very low wavelength sensitivity when the surround refractive index is higher than the refractive index of the cladding. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) coated LPFG could lead to the realization of high sensitivity chemical sensor for the food industry. In this work LPFG coated with a TiO2 thin film were successfully used for to detect small levels of hexane diluted in edible oils and for real time monitoring the thermal deterioration of edible oils. For a TiO2 coating of 30 nm a wavelength sensitivity of 1361.7 nm/RIU (or 0.97 nm /% V/V) in the 1.4610-1.4670 refractive index range was achieved, corresponding to 0 to 12 % V/V of hexane in olive oil. A sensitivity higher than 638 nm/RIU at 225 degrees C was calculated, in the 1.4670-1.4735 refractive index range with a detection limit of thermal deterioration of about 1 minute.

Abstract
In this study, a multimodal interferometer based on a suspended core photonic crystal fiber (PCF) for simultaneous strain and temperature measurements is proposed. The structure is also employed for angle measurements. The sensor comprises a 3-mm-suspended core PCF between SMFs and is based on the combination of two multimodal interferences with different frequency fringe patterns. The interferometric patterns show different sensitivity responses to strain and temperature. Through a low-pass frequency filtering of the detected spectrum, the wavelength shift of the two patterns can be measured allowing the discrimination of strain and temperature effects with resolutions of 0.45 degrees C and 4.02 mu epsilon, respectively. The sensor is also characterized for angle measurements showing a maximum sensitivity of 9.17 pm/degrees in the range from 0 degrees to 90 degrees. It is demonstrated that with this sensing structure is possible to obtain simultaneous measurement of bend angle and temperature with resolutions of 1.69 degrees and 0.92 degrees C, respectively.

Abstract
In the present study, we have determined the intrinsic refractive index of anodic aluminium oxide, which is originated by the formation of nanoporous alumina templates. Different templates have been fabricated by the conventional two-step anodization procedure in oxalic acid. Their porosities were modified by chemical wet etching allowing the tuning of their effective refractive indexes (air-filled nanopores + anodic aluminium oxide). By standard spectroscopic light transmission measurements, the effective refractive index for each different template was extracted in the VIS-NIR region. The determination of the intrinsic anodic aluminium oxide refractive index was performed by using the Maxwell-Garnett homogenization theory. The results are coincident for all the fabricated samples. The obtained refractive index (similar to 1.55) is quite lower (similar to 22%) than the commonly used Al2O3 handbook value (similar to 1.75), showing that the amorphous nature of the anodic oxide structure strongly conditions its optical properties. This difference is critical for the correct design and modeling of optical plasmonic metamaterials based on anodic aluminium oxide nanoporous templates.