Abstract
A long-period-grating-based fiber optic Michelson modal interferometer with coherence addressing and heterodyne interrogation is studied as a sensing structure for measuring environmental refractive index, temperature, and liquid level. The effects of several system parameters on the measurements are investigated. Experimental results show that the sensitivity to the external refractive index increases with the order of cladding mode and with a reduction of the fiber diameter. The decrease of the fiber diameter from 125 mu m down to 70 mu m enhances the sensitivity to the external index by a factor of 2.7. It is also shown that the use of a silica-core fiber increases the sensitivity to the external index by a factor of 1.4 and reduces the thermal sensitivity by a factor of 2.5 compared to a standard fiber. (C) 2008 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.

Abstract
In this paper, two hybrid multimode/single mode fiber Fabry-Perot (FP) cavities were compared. The cavities fabricated by chemical etching are presented as high temperature and strain sensors. In order to produce this FP cavity a single mode fiber was spliced to a graded index multimode fiber with 62.5 mu m core diameter. The Fabry-Perot cavities were tested as a high temperature sensor in the range between room temperature and 700 C and as strain sensors. A reversible shift of the interferometric peaks with temperature allowed to estimate a sensitivity of 0.75 +/- 0.03 pm/degrees C and 0.98 +/- 0.04 pm/degrees C for the sensor A and B respectively. For strain measurement sensor A demonstrated a sensitivity of 1.85 +/- 0.07 pm/mu and sensor B showed a sensitivity of 3.14 +/- 0.05 pm/mu. The sensors demonstrated the feasibility of low cost fiber optic sensors for high temperature and strain.

Abstract
Recent advances in the application of semiconductor nanocrystals, or quantum dots, as biochemical sensors are reviewed. Quantum dots have unique optical properties that make them promising alternatives to traditional dyes in many luminescence based bioanalytical techniques. An overview of the more relevant progresses in the application of quantum dots as biochemical probes is addressed. Special focus will be given to configurations where the sensing dots are incorporated in solid membranes and immobilized in optical fibers or planar waveguide platforms.

Abstract
A digital signal processing technique for interferometric peak localization in white Light sensing systems is presented. The procedure is based on computational processing of the acquired interferometric signal using Fourier mathematical operations for fringe visibility improvement. Tests are made by computer simulations. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S0034-6748(98)03807-6]

Abstract
In this work an all-optical hot-wire flowmeter based on a silver coated fiber combining a long period grating and a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) structure is proposed. Light from a pump laser at 1480nm propagating down the fiber is coupled by the long period grating into the fiber cladding and is absorbed by the silver coating deposited on the fiber surface over the Bragg grating structure. This absorption acts like a hot wire raising the fiber temperature locally, which is effectively detected by the FBG resonance shift. The temperature increase depends on the flow speed of the surrounding air, which has the effect of cooling the fiber. It is demonstrated that the Bragg wavelength shift can be related to the flow speed. A flow speed resolution of 0.08m/s is achieved using this new configuration. (C) 2011 Optical Society of America

Abstract
The potential applications of luminescent semiconductor nanocrystals to optical oxygen sensing are explored. The suitability of quantum dots to provide a reference signal in luminescence-based chemical sensors is addressed. A CdSe-ZnS nanocrystal, with an emission peak at 520 nm, is used to provide a reference signal. Measurements of oxygen concentration, which are based on the dynamic quenching of the luminescence of a ruthenium complex, are performed. Both the dye and the nanocrystal are immobilized in a solgel matrix and are excited by a blue LED. Experimental results show that the ratio between the reference and the sensor signals is highly insensitive to fluctuations of the excitation optical power. The use of CdTe, near-infrared quantum dots with an emission wavelength of 680 run, in combination with a ruthenium complex to provide a new mechanism for oxygen sensing, is investigated. The possibility of creating oxygen sensitivity in different spectral regions is demonstrated. The results obtained clearly show that this technique can be applied to develop a wavelength division multiplexed system of oxygen sensors. (c) 2006 Optical Society of America.