A good New Year’s resolution is one that goes in one year and out the other! There are a number of New Year’s resolutions that are easy to keep. For example, watch more television, read less, gain weight, stop exercising, do less laundry and use more deodorant, drink more, and use “password” as a password [jokes4us.com]. Another New Year’s wish (author unknown) is, “God, please grant me the senility to forget the people I don’t like, the good fortune to run into those I do like, and the vision to tell the difference.” There is also the progression of resolutions [ahajokes.com]:

This PDF file contains the editorial “OE 2013 List of Reviewers” for OE Vol. 53 Issue 01

The full color greenish-white-emitting phosphors Eu²⁺-doped Sr₃ Bi(PO₄)₃ have been successfully synthesized by the conventional solid-state reaction, and its photoluminescence properties have been investigated for the first time. The emission spectra of Sr₃Bi(PO₄)₃∶Eu²⁺ phosphors exhibit a greenish-white-emitting by combining blue, green, and red emissions, which are originated from the 5d→4f transition of the Eu²⁺. The excitation spectra reveal broad strong bands from 300 to 400 nm, which match well with the readily available emissions from near-ultraviolet light-emitting diode (LED) chips. The correlated color temperature, color rendering index (CRI), and Commission Internationale de I’Eclairage chromaticity coordinates of the entitled phosphors excited by 330 and 365 nm are also investigated. The experimental results indicate that the Eu²⁺-doped Sr₃ Bi(PO₄)₃ phosphors are a promising innovative greenish-white-emitting phosphor for white LEDs.

The bending loss is a critical parameter for packaging, representing a limiting parameter in the minimization of fiber-based devices. For applications in the mid-infrared spectral band, chalcogenide glass optical fibers are one of the few alternatives for high-power beam delivery. We present experimental results for the bending loss of a sulfide-based multimode chalcogenide fiber for a broad range of infrared wavelengths as well demonstrating <5.8  W power handling for a 6.25-mm radius bend.

Theoretical models of laser-induced damage mechanisms in optical materials are reviewed: inclusion-initiated thermal explosion (extrinsic mechanism) and impact ionization (II) and photoionization (intrinsic mechanisms). Different approaches to II theory based on quantum kinetic equation, Boltzman equations, and rate equations are briefly described. A relative contribution of II and photoionization predicted by these models at different laser pulse durations, including femtosecond-range, are discussed and compared with available experimental data. Basing on an analysis of published theoretical and experimental results, a today’s state of understanding fundamental laser damage mechanisms is concluded.

The scientific community has been dealing with big data for a long time. Due to advancement in sensing, networking, and storage technology, other domains such as business, health, and social media followed. Data are considered the gold of the 21st century and are being collected, stored, and analyzed at a rapid pace. The amount of data being collected creates a compelling case for investing in hardware and software research to support generating even more data from new sensors and with better quality. It also creates a compelling case for investing in research and development of new hardware and software for data analytics. This special section of Optical Engineering explores the optical and hybrid imaging and processing technology that will enable capturing and analyzing large amounts of data or help stream the data for further exploration and analysis.

The design scheme of the source-and-detector arrangement of a ring-scanning-based near-infrared optical imaging system prior to the mechanical and optical construction is demonstrated. In terms of the effectiveness and efficiency of design, through the computation of image reconstruction for varied imaging configurations, the influences of the source-and-detector arrangement on the resulting images are evaluated and a formula to estimate the scanning time is provided. The basic idea of our design is to divide circular scanning into several zones, each of which includes n sources and l detectors; i.e., m zones and n sources along with l detectors per zone are defined in the design. Comparison is made among different imaging configurations where their contrast-to-noise ratio measures are evaluated and contrast-and-size detail resolution curves are depicted. Results show that the 2Z3S or 3Z3S configuration is the optimal design in terms of the time consumption of a complete scanning and the resolution of reconstructed optical-property images.

A hybrid digital-optical correlator (HDOC) based on volume holographic memory is able to compute the correlation of images at a high speed. HDOC is suitable for real-time image processing and has potential usage in big data processing areas. A 7500-channel HDOC system is experimentally set up, and the target image is correlated with all the channels. The large number of parallel correlation channels could contribute to the precise rotation measurement as well as the translation measurement. In the image recognition applications, the target image involves rotation distortion with respect to the template images. A method with two coarse-fine steps is proposed to measure the rotation at a full range of 360 deg. In the coarse step, the target image is rotated 36 times at an increment of 10 deg. The 36 new images are sent into the HDOC to compute with the template images. Each new image corresponds to a correlation matrix. By searching the smallest value throughout the 36 minimums of the 36 correlation matrixes, the rotation of the target image is narrowed into ±5  deg . In the fine step, the new image is rotated another 10 times at an increment of 1 deg. The rotation measurement error is <0.3  deg .

We propose a new method of image encryption using Fourier computer-generated hologram (CGH) in the encryption system of multiple Fresnel diffraction transforms with phase masks. The digital image to be encrypted is modulated by a series of three random-phase masks in Fresnel diffraction system and finally is transformed into a complex-amplitude image which is stationary white noise (in which the information is like stationary-white-noise). Because the complex-amplitude information is not easy to be directly saved, the binary real value Fourier CGH is applied to record it. Compared with the traditional double random-phase image encryption technology, this method adds new keys which enhance the image encryption security and the Fourier CGH greatly improves the antinoise performance.

The implementation of split-field finite difference time domain (SF-FDTD) applied to light-wave propagation through periodic media with arbitrary anisotropy method in graphics processing units (GPUs) is described. The SF-FDTD technique and the periodic boundary condition allow the consideration of a single period of the structure reducing the simulation grid. Nevertheless, the analysis of the anisotropic media implies considering all the electromagnetic field components and the use of complex notation. These aspects reduce the computational efficiency of the numerical method compared with the isotropic and nonperiodic implementation. Specifically, the implementation of the SF-FDTD in the Kepler family of GPUs of NVIDIA is presented. An analysis of the performance of this implementation is done, and several applications have been considered in order to estimate the possibilities provided by both the formalism and the implementation into GPU: binary phase gratings and twisted-nematic liquid crystal cells. Regarding the analysis of binary phase gratings, the validity of the scalar diffraction theory is evaluated by the comparison of the diffraction efficiencies predicted by SF-FDTD. The analysis for the second order of diffraction is extended, which is considered as a reference for the transmittance obtained by the SF-FDTD scheme for periodic media.

There is an increased demand for understanding the accurate position of the shorelines. The automatic extraction of shorelines utilizing the digital elevation models (DEMs) obtained from light detection and ranging (LiDAR), aerial images, and multispectral images has become very promising. In this article, we develop two innovative algorithms that can effectively extract shorelines depending on the available data sources. The first is a multistep morphological technique that works on LiDAR DEM with respect to a tidal datum, whereas the second depends on the availability of training data to extract shorelines from LiDAR DEM fused with aerial images. Unlike similar techniques, the morphological approach detects and eliminates the outliers that result from waves, etc., by means of an anomaly test with neighborhood constraints. Additionally, it eliminates docks, bridges, and fishing piers along the extracted shorelines by means of Hough transform. The second approach extracts the shoreline by means of color space conversion of the aerial images and the support vector machines classifier to segment the fused data into water and land. We perform Monte-Carlo simulations to estimate the confidence interval for the error in shoreline position. Compared with other relevant techniques in literature, the proposed methods offer better accuracy in shoreline extraction.

A dual band multi-element infrared (IR) detector which enables effective target tracking in a complex tactical environment is presented. The photosensitive elements are designed like the stripes of the Lovell optical reticle and arranged close to each other. The thin films of the dual band filter are precisely coated onto an IR transparent substrate, which is then bonded directly onto the surface of photosensitive area with an IR transparent adhesive. The optical system of the detector adopts a spin-scan mode. The filter-detector combination rotates with a mechanical rotor during scanning. The dual band filters temporally encode target location into the incoming radiation signals, and the photosensitive elements then convert the modulated radiation into an electrical signal. The ratio of radiation intensity from two bands can be calculated to distinguish target from IR target-flare mixed signals. Because the pattern of the detector is similar to the Lovell reticle, the detector can also perform spatial filtering to eliminate background noise. In addition, relatively high stability, together with simplicity of the hardware and low cost, indicates that the presented method has a potential application at the field in which precision is not strictly requested.

In real-world scenarios, a target tracking system could be severely compromised by interactions, i.e., influences from the proximity and/or behavior of other targets or background objects. Closely spaced targets are difficult to distinguish, and targets may be partially or totally invisible for uncontrolled durations when occluded by other objects. These situations are very likely to degrade the performance or cause the tracker to fail because the system may use invalid target observations to update the tracks. To address these issues, we propose an integrated multitarget tracking system. A background-subtraction–based method is used to automatically detect moving objects in video frames captured by a moving camera. The data association method evaluates the overlap rates between newly detected objects (observations) and already-tracked targets and makes decisions pertaining to whether a target is interacting with other targets and whether it has a valid observation. According to the association results, distinct strategies are employed to update and manage the tracks of interacting versus well-isolated targets. This system has been tested with real-world airborne videos from the DARPA Video Verification of Identity program database and demonstrated excellent track continuity in the presence of occlusions and multiple target interactions, very low false alarm rate, and real-time operation on an ordinary general-purpose computer.

To tackle robust visual tracking in complex environment, an online algorithm based on generative model is proposed. The target is represented with overlapped and selected local patches based on key point proportion ranking, and its location is estimated by spatiotemporal analysis. Temporally, a propagated affine warping dynamical model is newly introduced. Spatially, an observation model based on weighted sparse representation and geometric confidence inference is newly established. Both selection pattern and templates are periodically updated to adapt the target’s appearance variation. Experiments demonstrate that the proposed approach achieves more favorable performance compared with classical works on challenging image sequences.

Three typical calibration patterns, including checkerboard, Gaussian point grid, and crossed fringe patterns, are chosen to find a good one for camera calibration. Through computer simulation and camera intrinsic parameter calibration experiment, the crossed sine fringe pattern using fringe analysis method is defined as the one with the best precision. However, the phase information is obtained by Fourier transform (FT), which cannot detect the points located in the edge of the point grid. Thus, an innovative method uses phase shifting in the fringe analysis process is proposed, it can avoid the extraction misplacement in the edge of the point grid by the FT method, and make the crossed sine fringe pattern more usable in camera calibration. The camera extrinsic parameter calibration experiment proves the effectiveness of the recent method.

An active depth sensing approach by laser speckle projection system is proposed. After capturing the speckle pattern with an infrared digital camera, we extract the pure speckle pattern using a direct-global separation method. Then the pure speckles are represented by Census binary features. By evaluating the matching cost and uniqueness between the real-time image and the reference image, robust correspondences are selected as support points. After that, we build a disparity grid and propose a generative graphical model to compute disparities. An iterative approach is designed to propagate the messages between blocks and update the model. Finally, a dense depth map can be obtained by subpixel interpolation and transformation. The experimental evaluations demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of our approach.

In order to optimize ultra-small gradient-index (GRIN) fiber probes and provide a theoretical prediction for the fabrication of such probes with high performance, focusing performance of the GRIN fiber probe is further analyzed based on the optical characteristic parameters. According to the optical model of the GRIN fiber probe and its mathematical expressions of characteristic parameters, the three-dimensional (3-D) function diagram is used for analyzing the impact of the lengths of probe components on the characteristic parameters. Partial derivatives of the mathematical expressions of characteristics are derived to analyze the mutation of focusing performance caused by the different lengths of probe components. According to the analytical results, our predictions suggest that focusing performance could be reflected through the 3-D function diagram between the characteristic parameters and the continuous change of the lengths of probe components. In addition, mutation occurs in the focusing performance of the GRIN fiber probe when the length of probe components changes. The research results are of practical guiding significance for the fabrication of GRIN fiber probes requiring specific optical focusing performance.

Commercial multispectral satellite datasets, such as WorldView-2 and Geoeye-1 images, are often delivered with a high-spatial resolution panchromatic image (PAN) as well as a corresponding lower resolution multispectral image (MSI). Certain fine features are only visible on the PAN but are difficult to discern on the MSI. To fully utilize the high-spatial resolution of the PAN and the rich spectral information from the MSI, a pan-sharpening process can be carried out. However, difficulties arise in maintaining radiometric accuracy, particularly for applications other than visual assessment. We propose a fast pan-sharpening process based on nearest-neighbor diffusion with the aim to enhance the salient spatial features while preserving spectral fidelity. Our approach assumes that each pixel spectrum in the pan-sharpened image is a weighted linear mixture of the spectra of its immediate neighboring superpixels; it treats each spectrum as its smallest element of operation, which is different from the most existing algorithms that process each band separately. Our approach is shown to be capable of preserving salient spatial and spectral features. We expect this algorithm to facilitate fine feature extraction from satellite images.

The finger vein is a promising biometric pattern for personal identification due to its advantages over other existing biometrics. In finger vein recognition, feature extraction is a critical step, and many feature extraction methods have been proposed to extract the gray, texture, or shape of the finger vein. We treat them as low-level features and present a high-level feature extraction framework. Under this framework, base attribute is first defined to represent the characteristics of a certain subcategory of a subject. Then, for an image, the correlation coefficient is used for constructing the high-level feature, which reflects the correlation between this image and all base attributes. Since the high-level feature can reveal characteristics of more subcategories and contain more discriminative information, we call it hyperinformation feature (HIF). Compared with low-level features, which only represent the characteristics of one subcategory, HIF is more powerful and robust. In order to demonstrate the potential of the proposed framework, we provide a case study to extract HIF. We conduct comprehensive experiments to show the generality of the proposed framework and the efficiency of HIF on our databases, respectively. Experimental results show that HIF significantly outperforms the low-level features.

The detection and classification of small surface targets at long ranges is a growing need for naval security. Simulations of a laser radar at 1.5 μm aimed for search, detect, and recognition of small maritime targets will be discussed. The data for the laser radar system will be based on present and realistic future technology. The simulated data generate signal waveforms for every pixel in the sensor field-of-view. From these we can also generate two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) range and intensity images. The simulations will incorporate typical target movements at different sea states, vessel courses, effects of the atmospheric turbulence and also include different beam jitter. The laser pulse energy, repetition rate as well as the receiver and detector parameters have been the same during the simulations. We have also used a high resolution (sub centimeter) laser radar based on time correlated single photon counting to acquire examples of range profiles from different small model ships. The collected waveforms are compared with simulated wave forms based on 3-D models of the ships. A discussion of the classification potential based on information in 1-D, 2-D, and 3-D data separately and in combination is made versus different environmental conditions and system parameters.

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a shift-multiplexing complex spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (shift-multiplexing CSD-OCT) method, in which the maximum detection depth of SD-OCT can be greatly extended by incorporating the shift-multiplexing of detection positions with CSD-OCT. The tomographic imaging with twofold or threefold microscopic slides as the target sample is performed. The experimental results show that the tomographic imaging with more uniform brightness and clarity for the different depth regions in a thick sample can be achieved by the shift-multiplexing CSD-OCT system. In particular, even while the sample’s depth is beyond the maximum imaging depth of CSD-OCT system, the tomographic imaging of this sample can still be realized by using the shift-multiplexing CSD-OCT method without the need for any replacement of the equipment, such as high spectral capacity grating or high resolution of CCD. The shift-multiplexing CSD-OCT system can perform the imaging with the optimization and less reduction of sensitivity for the deeper detection position in the sample.

Single reference-phase-based methods have been extensively utilized in digital fringe projection systems, yet they might not provide the maximum sensitivity given a hardware system configuration. This paper presents an innovative method to improve the measurement quality by utilizing two orthogonal phase maps. Specifically, two reference phase maps generated from horizontal and vertical (i.e., orthogonal) fringe patterns projected are combined into a vector reference phase map through a linear combination for depth extraction. The experiments have been conducted to verify the superiority of the proposed method over a conventional single reference-phase-based approach.

This paper aims to propose a new strapdown fiber optic gyrocompass (strapdown FOGC) using adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS). The strapdown FOGC is based on the principle of strapdown inertial navigation system and utilizes electromagnetic log (EM log) and damping equalizer to bound oscillatory errors existing in attitude and heading. As the introduction of damping technique, extra errors are aroused by EM log errors. To decrease the extra errors, ANFIS is utilized to adjust the damping ratio automatically in terms of the ship maneuver conditions. The simulation and trial results indicate that, compared with the conventional gyrocompass scheme, the proposed one can reduce the attitude and heading errors and improve the system performance effectively.

Measuring surface topography of translucent objects with phase shifting fringe projection method is a challenge because of the reduced fringe contrast due to the scattering inside the object. The internal structure also has an impact to the measurement. We present a new phase shifting fringe project imaging method to measure three-dimensional surface shapes of translucent objects. This method employs polarized short wavelength to increase the fringe contrast by reducing the internal scattered light from reaching the camera.

We focus on the evaluation of the applicability of the classical and well-established linear polarimeter to the measurement of linear retardance in the presence of phase flicker. This analysis shows that there are large errors in the results provided by the linear polarimeter when measuring the linear retardance of a device. These errors depend on the specific retardance value under measurement. We show that there are some points where this limitation can be used to measure the fluctuation amplitude consistently. An elegant method is further proposed, enabling the measurement of the average retardance value, thus extending the applicability of the classical linear polarimeter. Experimental characterization results are provided for various electrical sequences addressed onto a parallel aligned liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) display. Good agreement is obtained with experiment, thus validating the linear polarimeter methodology proposed. Furthermore, results are provided for the LCoS in two reflection geometries, perpendicular incidence with and without nonpolarizing beam splitter, demonstrating robustness of the method. As a result, the evaluation of both phase modulation range and flicker magnitude for any electrical sequence addressed can be easily obtained, which is very important for optimal use of LCoS displays in applications.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been used to study the surface hardness of special aluminum alloys containing zeolite. The aluminum alloy has acquired pronounced changes in its metallurgical properties due to the zeolite inclusion. The surface hardness of the samples under investigation is determined by measuring the spectral intensity ratios of the ionic to atomic spectral lines in the LIBS spectra of samples having different surface hardness values that have been conventionally measured before for comparison. The presence of aluminum silicate mineral in the studied alloys enabled material volume to expand under compression. This feature gave new results in the measurement of hardness via LIBS. It has been proven that the trend of the alloy density change complies with the increase of ionic to atomic spectral line intensity ratio.

A tunable nanosource of continuous wave terahertz (THz) radiation based on difference frequency generation is proposed and investigated. In this work, we extend and optimize surface plasmon-polariton waveguides to confine light to nanoscales. This new structure offers many advantages to produce more efficient THz waves with lower loss. The presented calculations for 0.6 THz indicate that THz efficiency is about three times larger (12×10⁻⁴   W⁻¹ from a 1-cm long device) with lower loss. Indeed, air gap distance variations to find the phase matching condition do not affect overlap factor.

The Navy Precision Optical Interferometer, located near Flagstaff, Arizona, is a ground-based interferometer that collects, transports, and modulates stellar radiation from up to six primary flat collectors, known as siderostats, through a common vacuum relay system to a combiner. In the combiner, the modulated beams are superimposed, fringes obtained, and data recorded for further analysis to produce precise star positions or stellar details. The current number of observable stellar objects for the astrometric interferometer can increase from 6000 to at least 47,000 with the addition of full-aperture 20-deg down-tilting beam compressors in each optical train. Such an aperture increase, from the current 12.5 to 35 cm, opens the sky to many additional and fainter stars. Engineering analysis of our beam compressor primary mirror shows that the maximum allowable sag, 21 nm, occurs prematurely at 2.8-deg down-tilt angle. Furthermore, at the operational down-tilt angle of 20 deg, the wavefront deformation increases to 155 nm. We present a finite element analysis technique and design modification concept to reduce tilt-induced deformation on the mirror surface. This work is a first pass to determine the feasibility for a mechanical solution path forward. From this analysis, we found that four outwardly applied 17.8-N forces on the rear surface of the mirror could reduce sag from 155 to 32 nm at 20-deg down-tilt angle.

A depth camera has been used to capture the depth data and color data for real-world objects. As an integral imaging display system is broadly used, the elemental image array for the captured data needs to be generated and displayed on liquid crystal display. We proposed a real-time integral imaging display system using image processing to simplify the optical arrangement and graphics processing unit parallel processing to reduce the time for computation. The proposed system provides elemental images generated at a rate of more than 30 fps with a resolution of 1204×1204  pixels, where the size of each display panel pixel was 0.1245 mm, and an array of 30×30  lenses, where each lens was 5×5  mm.

Quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) is one of the most popular modulation schemes in coherent optical communication systems for data rates in excess of 40 Gbps because of its high spectral efficiency. This paper proposes a simple method of implementing a QPSK modulator in integrated optic (IO) domain. The QPSK modulator is realized using standard IO components, such as Y-branches and electro-optic modulators (EOMs). Design optimization of EOM is carried out considering the fabrication constraints, miniaturization aspects, and simplicity. Also, the interdependency between electrode length, operating voltage, and electrode gap of an EOM has been captured in the form of a family of curves. These plots enable designing of EOMs for custom requirements. An innovative approach has been adopted in demonstrating the operation of IO QPSK modulator in terms of phase data extracted from beam propagation model. The results obtained by this approach have been verified using the conventional interferometric approach. The operation of the proposed IO QPSK modulator is experimentally demonstrated. The design of IO QPSK modulator is taken up as a part of a broader scheme that aims at generation of QPSK modulated microwave signal based on optical heterodyning.

An innovative cascaded double-loop optical buffer (DLOB) with a large dynamic variable delay suitable for buffering multichannel data packets is proposed and demonstrated. In this buffer, the pure phase modulation of the gain-transparent semiconductor optical amplifier (GT-SOA) is used as the optical switching, and then an experimental system with two buffering units is established. The data packets carried out on four different wavelengths have been stored for 12 round trips successively in DLOB1 and DLOB2, and a long delay time of 39.6 μs has been achieved. The pulse distortion, pattern effect, and channel crosstalk caused by the SOA’s nonlinear gain, carrier recovery time, cross-phase modulation, and cross-gain modulation have been eliminated clearly, and the accumulation of ASE noise has also been effectively mitigated. The signal details, the eye diagrams, and the bit error ratio curves for all four wavelengths show that the proposed optical buffer is an effective approach for buffering multichannel data packets, especially when the GT-SOA’s transmission loss decreases in the near future.

Performance analysis of free-space optical (FSO) communication systems in different channel conditions has gained significant attention in literature. Nevertheless, most existing studies consider uncorrelated channel conditions. An uncorrelated channel requires sufficient spacing between transmitters and limits the receiver field of view and link distance. However, this might not be feasible in all applications. Thereby, this paper studies repetition code (RC) and orthogonal space time block code (OSTBC) performance in correlated log-normal FSO channels using intensity modulation and direct detection. An approximate analytical expressions using moment generating function for the average bit error probability are derived. Our simulation results show that RCs are superior to OSTBCs in correlated channel conditions.

We present a simple genetic algorithm implemented to perform multiparameter optimization of a Raman fiber amplifier for a 100-channel L-band dense wavelength division multiplexed system at a 25-GHz interval. The system is investigated for various cases with fixed pump frequency leading to 202.2-THz pump as the best choice with average gain above 19.5 dB. There is evidence to show that a single counterpropagating pump optimized to 588.2-mW power level and optimum Raman fiber length of 38.8 km presents a small gain variation (<2  dB ) over an effective bandwidth covering 187 to 189.475 THz. The optimized configuration enabled an adequate system performance in terms of acceptable Q-factor (17 dB) and bit error rate (5.60×10 ⁻¹³ ).

We propose a new code family, called extended shifted prime codes, and the universal encoding architecture for spectral amplitude coding optical code division multiple access systems using a two-code keying scheme. The proposed system can eliminate multiuser interference and suppress phase-induced intensity noise. In addition, we design the ESP codes to be an encoding/decoding architecture based on the array waveguide grating architecture and reduce the power loss and the complexity of the optical line terminal. The numerical results demonstrate that the proposed system with ESP codes outperforms the existing one-dimensional shifted prime codes system.

A time-division Brillouin optical correlation domain analysis system was successfully achieved using simplified laser diode (LD) modulation and pump lightwave optimization. A complicated transfer function for a precise output waveform of a LD was required for the conventional system. However, a very simple modulation function gave a power output very close to a required ideal rectangle waveform without sacrificing optical output spectrum. An electrical input waveform applied into a gate in the pump lightwave path was also optimized for eliminating a probe lightwave included in a pump lightwave and for passing consecutive pump pulses alternatively. So the stimulated Brillouin scattering gain was attained without seriously distorting FM modulation, and the targeted spatial resolution was clearly accomplished. Additionally, using high speed response of a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA), unlike an erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA), the possibility was investigated that an SOA was going to replace an EDFA and a modulator used as a gate in the same time.

We propose and demonstrate an indoor location awareness method for an autonomous robot vehicle using light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The location is estimated by measuring received signal strength ratio (RSSR), which is the relative ratio of optical powers detected between each LED and optical receiver. In this method, multiple LED lamps on the indoor ceiling are used, which can radiate light only during the individual time slot assigned to each of them. Using the RSSRs, circle or straight line equations are obtained and the crossing point among those equations determines the location of the object. In the experiment, four LED lamps are identified by time-division multiplexing with room dimensions of 1.0×1.0×1.3  m³ , and the results show that the mean of the location error is 3.24 cm in the entire floor area.

Free-space optical (FSO) communications have attracted significant attention recently. The ergodic capacity and outage capacity of a multiple-input single-output FSO communication system are investigated. Initially, a composite channel model including distance-dependant atmospheric loss, pointing error, and atmospheric turbulence is derived. To show different weather conditions, both the weak and strong atmospheric turbulence conditions are taken into account. Moreover, the statistical characteristics of two composite channels (i.e., weak turbulence composite channels and strong turbulence composite channels) are provided. Furthermore, approximated expressions of the ergodic capacity and closed-form expressions of the outage capacity are derived under the two composite channels, respectively. Numerical results finally substantiate that the derived theoretical expressions can provide a very good approximation to the simulation results.

An innovative wavelength division multiplex-radio over fiber-passive optical network architecture for multiple access points (AP) based on multitone generation and triple sextupling frequency is proposed and demonstrated. A dual-drive Mach–Zehnder modulator (DD-MZM) is utilized to realize the multitone generation. Even sidebands are suppressed to make the adjacent frequency separation twice the frequency of the local oscillator by adjusting the modulation voltage of the DD-MZM. Due to adopting three fiber Bragg gratings to reflect the unmodulated sidebands for uplink communications source free at optical network unit (ONU), is achieved. The system can support at least three APs at one ONU simultaneously with a 30 km single-mode fiber (SMF) transmission and 5  Gb/s data rate both for uplink and downlink communications. The theoretical analysis and simulation results show the architecture has an excellent performance and will be a promising candidate in future hybrid access networks.

We characterized the dynamic response of a Bragg grating-based fiber laser sensing system. The sensing system comprises of a narrow line width fiber laser based on π -phase-shifted fiber Bragg grating formed in an active fiber, an unbalanced fiber Michelson interferometer (FMI), which performs wavelength-to-phase mapping, and a phase detection algorithm, which acquires the phase change from the interferometric output signal. The novel phase detection algorithm is developed based on the combination of the two traditional phase generated carrier algorithms: differential-cross-multiplying and arctangent algorithms, and possesses the advantages of the two algorithms. The modulation depth fluctuation of the carrier does not affect the performance of the sensing system. A relatively high side mode suppression ratio of above 50 dB has been achieved within a wide range of carrier amplitude from 1.6 to 5.0 V which correspond to the modulation depth from 1.314 to 4.106 rad. The linearity is 99.082% for the relationship between the power spectral density (dBm/Hz ) of the detected signal and the amplitude (mv) of the test signal. The unbalanced FMI is used to eliminate the polarization effect.

This work describes an accurate method for simulating turbulent phase screens. The phase screen is divided into a fast Fourier transform (FFT)-based screen and a tilt screen. The simulation of the FFT-based screen is different from that of the standard method. In the simulation, the discrete power spectrum of the turbulence is obtained from the discrete Fourier transform of the phase autocorrelation matrix, not from the theoretical power spectrum. This method avoids the drawbacks of the undersampling of the low frequency and high frequency components which occurs in the standard FFT-based method. The maximum error in the phase structure function can be reduced to <0.13% , and the additional execution time increases by only several percents. This method is only suitable for square screens.

By applying recirculating frequency shifter technology to generate optical comb as neighboring channels, we have experimentally investigated the interchannel nonlinear tolerance of 256-Gbit/s polarization-division multiplexing return-to-zero 16-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (PDM-RZ-16QAM) in a co-propagation with 32-Gbaud on-off keying, binary phase-shift keying, quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK) signals in 792-km large-area fiber transmission system. The results show that the experimental back-to-back optical signal-to-noise ratio requirement of 256-Gbit/s (32-GBaud) PDM-RZ-16QAM signal is shifted by 4.8-dB penalty in comparison with the theoretical limits. The cross-phase modulation (XPM) tolerance for 256-Gbit/s PDM-RZ-16QAM in 32-Gbaud phase-modulated neighboring channels is better than in 32-Gbaud intensity-modulated neighbors. Moreover, the performance of XPM tolerance for 256-Gbit/s PDM-RZ-16QAM in 32-Gbaud QPSK neighboring channels is the best among other kinds of modulation neighboring formats.

A photonic crystal fiber (PCF) with low confinement loss and nearly zero ultraflattened chromatic dispersion over ultra-broad wavelength is proposed. Some important PCF design parameters, such as the influences of the diameter of air holes and hole pitch on the confinement loss, chromatic dispersion has been thoroughly investigated by employing the full vectorial finite element method with anisotropic perfectly matched layers. The simulation results show that the dispersion coefficient is <0.6  ps/(km⋅nm) and is larger than −0.5  ps/(km⋅nm) from 1.32 to 1.64 μm, and the confinement losses are <10 ⁻⁷   dB/m in the same wavelength range by introducing extra air holes in the same ring.

We present the tomographic study of the refractive index distribution in polymer bridges between two optical fibers. Detailed refractive index maps are needed in order to improve the technological process for manufacturing those bridges and to achieve a lower return loss. At first, the technological process of the fabrication of bridges through photopolymerization is presented. The interferometric measurements of reference fibers used to produce those bridges and two series of microbridges are performed experimentally in the visible (VIS; 632.8 nm) and infrared (IR; 1550 nm) wavelength regions. The relation between the VIS and IR results is determined, which allows performing tomographic measurements in more accurate conditions in the VIS spectrum. The experimentally obtained refractive index distributions in the microbridges are used for modeling the insertion and return losses, which are compared with the real loss obtained for the produced microbridges. This knowledge will be used for better understanding the manufacturing process and its further optimization.

The thermal performance of the fiber coils wound by quadrupolar and octupolar methods is investigated and compared in temperature control conditions and variable temperature conditions. Simulation by finite difference time domain method is done to calculate the temperature distribution and the thermal-induced nonreciprocity phase shift in the fiber coils. Rate errors in interferometric fiber optic gyroscope (IFOG) with quadrupolar and octupolar coils are then obtained. Simulation results reveal that thermal-induced rate errors in the IFOG wound by octupolar method can be substantially reduced than that wound by quadrupolar method both in temperature control conditions and variable temperature conditions, which is meaningful in the application of octupolar-wound coil for high precision IFOG.

Multifrequency filtering characteristics of the two-dimensional square-lattice photonic crystal structures with rectangular microcavities are studied. Owing to the different sensitivities of the resonant frequencies to the variation of the rectangle’s side length, one resonant frequency can be flexibly adjusted only by changing one of the rectangle’s side lengths, while another frequency is immunizing to the variation. So, a two-output-channel frequency filter is designed to allow two frequencies to travel along different channels, and allow the third frequency to travel along both the channels. Based on the low spatial symmetry of rectangular defect, which supports localized modes with different symmetries, together with optimizing the coupling regions between the input waveguide and the rectangular microcavities, the two-output-channel and four-output-channel filters are both achieved, which can select different frequencies to travel along various channels, and share another frequency to travel along every output channel. These kinds of devices have both the abilities of information selecting and sharing carried out by different frequencies, and may have potential applications in the future complex all-optical integrated circuits.

The design and packaging of simple, small, and low cost sensor heads, used for continuous liquid level measurement using uniformly thinned (etched) optical fiber Bragg grating (FBG) are proposed. The sensor system consists of only an FBG and a simple detection system. The sensitivity of sensor is found to be 23  pm/cm of water column pressure. A linear optical fiber edge filter is designed and developed for the conversion of Bragg wavelength shift to its equivalent intensity. The result shows that relative power measured by a photo detector is linearly proportional to the liquid level. The obtained sensitivity of the sensor is nearly −15  mV/cm .

Laser-induced thermal damages of a silicon wafer surface subjected to continuous near-infrared laser irradiation were investigated. Silicon wafer specimens were illuminated by a continuous-wave fiber laser beam (1070-nm wavelength) with irradiances from 93 to 186  W/cm² , and the surface morphology of each specimen was analyzed using optical microscopy. With increasing irradiance, straight cracks in the <110< direction appeared first, and partial melting and complete melting were subsequently observed. The mechanism of these laser-induced thermal damages in the silicon wafer surface was discussed with numerical analysis based on the heat transfer and thermoelasticity model. The irradiances initiating the cracking and melting were predicted by determining the irradiances in which the calculated thermal stress and temperature exceeded the corresponding limits of the fracture strength and melting point, respectively. These predictions agreed well with the experimental findings. Laser-induced thermal damages of the silicon wafer surface subjected to a continuous near-infrared laser irradiation were identified based on these investigations.

We have demonstrated a refractive index sensor based on a fiber optic Fabry–Perot (FP) interferometer with an open air cavity fabricated using a one-step mechanical sawing technique. The sensor head consists of a short FP cavity near the fiber patch cord tip, which was assembled by joining a ceramic ferrule and a single-mode fiber together. Owing to the open air cavity in the sensor head, various liquid samples with different refractive index can fill in-line air cavity, which makes the device usable as a refractometer. Moreover, due to the sensor head encircled with the robust ceramic ferrule, the device is attractive for sensing measurement in harsh environments. The sensor was tested in different refractive index solutions. The experimental result shows that the attenuation peak wavelength of the sensor is shifted toward a shorter wavelength with increasing refractive index, and the refractive index sensitivity is ∼92.5  nm/refractive index unit (RIU) and 73.75  dB/RIU . The proposed sensor can be used as an in-line refractometer for many potential applications in the sensing field.

A microcavity extrinsic Fabry–Perot interferometric (EFPI) fiber-optic sensor is presented for measurement of strain. The EFPI sensor is fabricated by micromachining a cavity on the tip of a standard single-mode fiber with a femtosecond (fs) laser and is then self-enclosed by fusion splicing another piece of single-mode fiber. The fs-laser-based fabrication makes the sensor thermally stable to sustain temperatures as high as 800°C. The sensor exhibits linear performance for a range up to 3700 με and a low temperature sensitivity of only 0.59  pm/°C through 800°C.

InAsSb is considered as an alternative to HgCdTe ternary alloy as far as infrared (IR) detection systems are concerned. Lately, there has been an enormous progress in the development of InAsSb focal plane arrays. High-operating-temperature conditions were successfully achieved with A ^III B ^V unipolar barrier structures including InAsSb/AlAsSb and InAs/AlAsSb material systems. The performance of medium-wavelength IR InAsSb-based nB _n nn + detectors is examined theoretically. Since there is no depletion layer in the active layer of such devices, the generation-recombination and trap-assisted tunneling mechanisms are suppressed, leading to lower dark currents in bariode detectors in comparison with standard diodes. Detailed analysis of the detector performance (such as dark current, dynamic resistance area product, and detectivity) versus bias voltage and operating temperatures are performed by pointing out optimal working conditions. The theoretical predictions of bariode parameters are compared with experimental data published in the literature. Finally, the bariode performance is compared with standard InAsSb photodiodes operated at room temperature.

This article [Opt. Eng.. 50, (1 ), 016001 (2011)] was originally published on 6 January 2011 with errors in Eqs. (51) to (57). They are corrected below.