Abstract

Abstract
A detailed comparison between a low-finesse Fabry-Perot cavity and a typical two-beam interferometer is developed and checked experimentally. The consequences of approximating the true Fabry-Perot function by the two-beam function are evaluated for commonly used signal-processing schemes in order to quantify the final error introduced in various fiber sensing schemes employing this configuration.

Abstract
A reflective array of optical-fiber sensors multiplexed in time and with their status read using coherence sensing associated with directly modulated multimode laser-diode illumination is investigated. Sensor sensitivity as determined by primary noise sources is evaluated and numerical results are presented. The concept is demonstrated with two all-fiber Michelson interferometers and applied to the measurement of periodic and quasi-static parameters. It is shown that the effect of feedback light into the laser cavity on the level of the system noise floor is negligible, making unnecessary the use of source optical isolation.

Abstract

Abstract
A sensing head for simultaneous measurement of temperature and strain is presented and analyzed. The proposed configuration is based on the combination of two Bragg gratings, written in different fibres and with different reflectivities, to form a single signature with a reflected step spectrum profile. By measuring the changes in the peak wavelength and spectral width of this signature, resolutions of 0.65 degreesC/rootHz and +/- 2.55 muepsilon/rootHz were achieved for temperature and strain measurements, respectively.

Abstract
An optical fiber sensor for the measurement of oxygen in gaseous environments, which is based on the quenching of the fluorescence of a ruthenium complex, is presented. The sensing chemistry is immobilized in a sol-gel based solid matrix that is coated on a tapered optical fiber probe. Oxygen measurement is performed both by phase and fluorescence intensity spectroscopy. Experimental results show that the fluorescence intensity and the lifetime depend both on oxygen and temperature. A scheme for simultaneous determination of the temperature and the oxygen concentration is proposed. Temperature measurement is performed using the excitation radiation and an absorption long pass filter. Preliminary results are presented which show a temperature measurement independent of oxygen and of optical power level.