High resolution Optical Time Domain Reflectometry (OTDR) measurements have recently allowed spatial resolutions of less than one millimeter. These capabilities indicate that OTDR techniques may be suitable for non-conventional applications such as the determination of fiber strain. This thesis presents an investigation of how high resolution OTDR techniques can be used in such applications. The concept of fiber segmentation via partially reflective optical splices for local strain measurements is discussed both from a theoretical and practical standpoint. Experimental results demonstrating the feasibility of such local strain measurements are also given. Another part of this investigation considers the practical details of the proposed strain measurement technique, addressing such topics as launching conditions, and environmental factors. Possible applications of the local strain measurement techniques, such as two- and three-dimensional stress analysis, and strain determination of fiber optic cables, are also presented. These applications also include the development of small, easy to manufacture elastomeric optical splices, which were shown to yield acceptable performance < 0.2 dB losses) for multimode fibers. / Master of Science

This dissertation reports the development of two new categories of optical fibers. These are the Random Hole Optical Fiber (RHOF) and the Crucible Technique Hybrid Fiber (CTF). The RHOF is a new class of microstructure fiber which possesses air holes which vary in diameter and location along the length of the fiber. Unlike all prior microstructure fibers, these RHOF do not have continuous air holes which extend throughout the fiber. The CTF is a method for incorporating glasses with vastly differing thermal properties into a single optical fiber. Each of these two classes of fiber brings a new set of optical characteristics into being. The RHOF exhibit many of the same guidance properties as the previously researched microstructure fibers, such as reduced mode counts in a large area core. CTF fibers show great promise for integrating core materials with extremely high levels of nonlinearity or gain. The initial goal of this work was to combine the two techniques to form a fiber with exceedingly high efficiency of nonlinear interactions. Numerous methods have been endeavored in the attempt to achieve the fabrication of the RHOF. Some of the methods include the use of sol-gel glass, microbubbles, various silica powders, and silica powders with the incorporation of gas producing agents. Through careful balancing of the competing forces of surface tension and internal pressure it has been possible to produce an optical fiber which guides light successfully. The optical loss of these fibers depends strongly on the geometrical arrangement of the air holes. Fibers with a higher number of smaller holes possess a markedly lower attenuation. RHOF also possess, to at least some degree the reduced mode number which has been extensively reported in the past for ordered hole fibers. Remarkably, the RHOF are also inherently pressure sensitive. When force is applied to an RHOF either isotropically, or on an axis perpendicular to the length of the fiber, a wavelength dependent loss is observed. This loss does not come with a corresponding response to temperature, rendering the RHOF highly anomalous in the area of fiber optic sensing techniques. Furthermore an ordered hole fiber was also tested to determine that this was not merely a hitherto undisclosed property of all microstructure fibers. Crucible technique fibers have also been fabricated by constructing an extremely thick walled silica tube, which is sealed at the bottom. A piece of the glass that is desired for the core (such as Lead Indium Phosphate) is inserted into the hole which is in the center of the tube. The preform is then drawn on an fiber draw tower, resulting in a fiber with a core consisting of a material which has a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) or a melting temperature (Tm) which is not commonly compatible with those of silica. / Ph. D.

Optical fibers provide the means for transmitting large amounts of data from one place to another and are used in high precision sensors. It is important to have a good understanding of the fundamental properties of these devices to continue to improve their applications. A specially type of optical fiber known as a W-fiber has some desirable properties and unique characteristics not found in matched-cladding fibers. A properly designed W- fiber supports a fundamental mode with a finite cutoff wavelength. At discrete wavelengths longer than cutoff, the fundamental mode experiences large amounts of loss. The mechanism for loss can be described in terms of interaction between the fiber's supermodes and the lossy interface at the fiber's surface. Experiments and computer simulations support this model of W-fibers. The property of a finite cutoff wavelength can be used to develop various fiber devices. Under consideration here is the fiber polarizer. The fiber polarizer produces an output that is linearly polarized along one of the fiber's principal axes. Some of the polarizer properties can be understood from the study of W-fibers. / Master of Science

A method of using optical fiber to measure strain and correct for the effects of temperature is proposed. A means of measuring apparent strain is given, pure temperature is measured using Fresnel-backscatter based Optical Time Domain Reflectometry, and a method for combining the two measurements to obtain a measurement of mechanically-induced strain alone is developed. The background, theory and experimental results that demonstrate the feasibility of such a system are presented and the results are compared with the performance of existing fiber-based means of measuring temperature. Experiments on several OTDR-addressed, intensity-based optical temperature sensors are performed and a method for manufacturing small air gap splices for use in measuring strain at several places along an optical fiber are presented. / Master of Science

Axial strain effects in multimode fibers are studied. A few-mode fiber is mounted on a tensile testing machine and strained at various speeds. The output of a monochromatic light source passing through it is monitored and recorded. Relations are noted between the light output the magnitude of tension and the rate of the applied axial strain. Flexural behavior of the optical fiber at various tensions is also studied by monitoring the modal output pattern. Relations are compiled to serve as a beginning to model these and other related modal effects. A theoretical background is also suggested to explain the observed effects. / Master of Science

The concept of incorporating optical fiber delay lines as signal processors is investigated. These signal processors are discrete-time filters implemented using optical fiber delay lines in the form of optical fiber couplers advantages of such a filter include the ability to eliminate the need for electro-optical conversion or at least postpone the conversion to a point where the electronics may be simplified. In addition, these optical signal processors exhibit all the advantages afforded traditional optical fiber systems. Furthermore, these devices allow high-speed signal processing rates greater than 1GHZ which rival the performance of the most advanced electronic counterparts available today. In this thesis, optical signal processors are investigated in detail. First, the fundamental signal processing concepts and optical component background is discussed for the analysis of the devices are developed. Subsequently, various configurations of optical signal processors are discussed and novel computer models for these configurations using Z-transform theory are presented. Lastly, experimental verification is presented of the rudimentary models and a unique approach is presented that will allow the creation of optical signal processors with a flexibility never achievable before. / Master of Science

A single piece of optical fiber can be utilized to sense both strain and temperature simultaneously. To develop such a sensor, we sandwich a section of two-mode elliptical core (e-core) fiber between two partially reflecting mirrors. This configuration can be considered as an intrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer, in which the two-mode, e-core fiber serves as the resonant cavity. Two different types of phase modulation can be extracted under perturbations of strain and temperature on the fiber. These phase changes are due to the two-mode interference and intrinsic Fabry-Perot interference, respectively. The relationship between the phase information and the two physical measurands, i.e. strain and temperature, can be established using two coupled equations, in which the strain and temperature are considered as two unknowns. By solving these two coupled equations, we can simultaneously determine the strain and temperature. The waveguide theory and the Cross sensitivity analysis of this sensor are presented. The descriptions of four independent experiments that have been used to determine the coefficients of the two coupled equations are given. The resolutions of the strain and temperature measurements have been obtained to be 31 μm/m and 4.5 °C, respectively. / Master of Science

Methods designed to improve the practicality of the elliptical-core two-mode optical fiber sensors for use in real-life applications are presented. The improvements include the development of insensitive lead fibers and an optical device which allows fringe counting at the output of the sensor. The insensitive leads eliminate extraneous perturbations and effectively isolate the sensing region. The fringe counting optics are designed to generate quadrature-phase shifted signals, thereby allowing the determination of whether the strain is increasing or decreasing. Work performed to advance the understanding of the effect of sensor placement within a composite specimen is also presented. Optical fiber sensors are embedded between different laminae of a graphite-epoxy composite panel, and the outputs of the sensors are shown to be proportional to the distance of the sensor from the neutral axis. / Master of Science

This work concentrates on the study, analysis, and development of rare-earth-based optical fiber active devices. The properties of the neodymium ion are analyzed and related to its potential role in the operation of various active optical devices. Existing technology in rare-earth-based fiber amplifiers is reviewed. Novel techniques for the fabrication of rare-earth-based glass rods and fibers are presented. Further, a discussion of results and ideas for the point sensing of temperature, and the simultaneous sensing of temperature and strain using optical time-domain reflectometry techniques with such devices is also presented. / Master of Science

The objective of this thesis is to demonstrate the feasibility of developing holograms in the cladding region of an optical fiber. The cladding is first stripped and replaced with dichromated gelatin ( DCG ) which is a highly efficient holographic storage medium. The evanescent field of the fiber is used as the reference beam to form an interference pattern with an object wave. The interference of the two fields is recorded in the DCG and forms the hologram. The holograms recorded have a grating type structure and can be utilized for guiding light selectively in and out of the fiber. / Master of Science