Optical Fiber Technology: Split-Time Lens and Filters Provides Temporal Cloak

A laser beam passes through a "split-time lens" - a specially designed waveguide that bumps up the wavelength for a while then suddenly bumps it down. The signal then passes through a filter that slows down the higher-wavelength part of the signal, creating a gap in which the cloaked event takes place. A second filter works in the opposite way from the first, letting the lower wavelength catch up, and a final split-time lens brings the beam back to the original wavelength, leaving no trace of what happened during the gap.

Cornell researchers have demonstrated a "temporal cloak" in the transport of information by a beam of light. The trick is to create a gap in the beam of light, have the hidden event occur as the gap goes by and then stitch the beam back together. Alexander Gaeta, professor of applied and engineering physics, and colleagues report their work in the January 5 (2012) issue of the journal Nature.

Four-Wave Mixing              The researchers created what they call a time lens, which can manipulate and focus signals in time, analogous to the way a glass lens focuses light in space. They use a technique called four-wave mixing, in which two beams of light, a "signal" and a "pump," are sent together through an optical fiber. The two beams interact and change the wavelength of the signal. To begin creating a time gap, the researchers first bump the wavelength of the signal up, then by flipping the wavelength of the pump beam, bump it down.

The beam then passes through another, very long, stretch of optical fiber. Light passing through a transparent material is slowed down just a bit, and how much it is slowed varies with the wavelength. So the lower wavelength pulls ahead of the higher, leaving a gap, like the hare pulling ahead of the tortoise. During the gap the experimenters introduced a brief flash of light at a still higher wavelength that would cause a glitch in the beam coming out the other end.

Then the split beam passes through more optical fiber with a different composition, engineered to slow lower wavelengths more than higher. The higher wavelength signal now catches up with the lower, closing the gap. The hare is plodding through mud, but the tortoise is good at that and catches up. Finally, another four-wave mixer brings both parts back to the original wavelength, and the beam emerges with no trace that there ever was a gap, and no evidence of the intruding signal.

The gap created in the experiment was (only) 15 picoseconds long, and might be increased up to 10 nanoseconds; however, the technique could have applications in fiber-optic data transmission and data processing. For example, it might allow inserting an emergency signal without interrupting the main data stream, or multitasking operations in a photonic computer, where light beams on a chip replace wires.

The research was funded by the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency and by Cornell's Center for Nanoscale Systems, which is supported by the National Science Foundation and the New York State Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR).

Source: Cornell Chronicle

Non-Invasive Blood Glucose Monitoring: Natural User Interface (NUI)

Source: Microsoft Corporation

Diabetes is a potentially devastating disease with no known cure. The pancreas of a person who has type 1 diabetes does not produce insulin. The failure to strike the right balance between food and insulin intake can lead to extreme physiological reactions—from crying jags to loss of consciousness. The long-term effects of uncontrolled blood glucose imbalances can be even more devastating.

Non-Invasive Blood Glucose Monitoring

Today, people with type 1 diabetes use needles to prick their fingers multiple times throughout the day, every day, including meal times, for blood samples that allow them to monitor and maintain healthy glucose levels, which is critical to reducing the impact diabetes has on the patient’s health. The never-ending, daily blood draws are not only unpleasant for the person with diabetes, but they also provide limited information.

Researchers from the University of Washington (UW) and Microsoft Research Connections are working together to develop a non-invasive, technological solution that promises to improve both the health and overall quality of life for people with diabetes: a contact lens that monitors blood glucose levels. This innovative solution represents a trend in technology, the natural user interface (NUI).

The contact lens NUI would replace the blood tests and provide real-time feedback regarding fluctuations in glucose and insulin levels to the wearer, allowing the user to react quickly—for example, by increasing insulin intake or eating a piece of candy to raise their blood sugar level.

Babak Parviz, a researcher at UW, and Desney Tan, a senior researcher at Microsoft Research, are developing the "functional lens" that would be worn daily, just like regular contact lenses. But in addition to (or instead of ) correcting vision, the lens would monitor the wearer’s glucose level through their tears.

 

"What is inside the blood, to a degree, appears on the surface of the eye," Parviz explained. "So there is a reflection of the body chemistry directly on the surface of the eye. If you have a contact lens that can sample that surface, analyze it, and maybe send out the information through a radio, this contact lens, in principle, can give us information about what’s happening inside the body without actually going into the body or collecting a blood sample."

Development of the Functional Lens

Parviz’s lab has built a variety of contact lenses with small radios and antennas built in, enabling them to send and receive information through radio frequency radiation. The team also has been able to place a glucose sensor on the contact lens and demonstrate that it can detect glucose at levels that are found in the tear film. The goal is to pull these elements together to develop a contact lens that constantly monitors the blood glucose level and records information that can be accessed by the patient’s doctor.

 

The lens is the result of a large collaboration involving many disciplines. "There are quite a few people who work on building these contact lenses," Parviz said. "We have a number of electrical engineers that build miniaturized devices, design and build sensors, and build radios or interface circuitry. We work with material scientists who think about issues related with the contact lens material. And we directly work with ophthalmologists to make sure that these devices are safe and medically relevant."

The team envisions a way to automatically display important information—including abnormal glucose or insulin alerts—in the lens wearer’s view. It could alert the wearer when their glucose levels indicate that they should stop eating, or remind them when it’s time to eat a snack. This real-time feedback would empower the user to react quickly, before their health or safety is compromised. The visuals would be dormant the rest of the time, adhering to the NUI ideal of unobtrusive technology.

"The functional contact lens provides us with the ability to have displays that we don’t have to pull out and look at, and that require we take our attention away from the real world," Tan notes. "They aren’t socially quite as intrusive as wearing the goggles that are sort of the state of the art in the field right now."

Working on the functional lens has inspired Tan to dream beyond just healthcare applications. "The project allows us to remove some of the barriers to the imagination," he said. "It allows us to imagine a world in which the virtual and the real are truly fused, without some of the technology barriers that exist in the way. Imagine being able to overlay digital images in the real world seamlessly at any given time. It’s a pretty amazing set of capabilities we could provide to the user."

PON Power Meters - GAO Fiber Optics

 

Toronto, Canada – GAO Fiber Optics has released a hand-held passive optical network (PON) power meter, which is a useful tool for the construction and maintenance of fiber optic communication networks. It is commonly used in APON, BPON, EPON and GPON network measurements

This portable PON power meter, model C0260007,enables quick testing of all PON signals along the network and performs simultaneous measurement and displays of PON signals including voice, data and video optical signal. This power meter offers an optional visible fault locator (VFL) which easily identifies fiber and locates faults. It provides simultaneous measurement of all three wavelengths on the fiber including1490, 1550, 1310 nm and performs upstream optical power tests over ONU 1310 nm under both constant and burst modes.

The compact PON power meter features smart navigation menus, upgradable embedded software, auto power-saving design, real-time battery power indication, and advanced universal FC/SC/ST (connector-type) interchangeable optical adapter. It provides 10 groups of configurable threshold values and can save 1000 test results. The power meter connects to a computer via USB interface for data upload, optical power calibration and threshold modification

This hand-held PON power meter belongs to GAO’s family of power meter. This line also includes Handheld Optical Power Meter (model C0260002)featuring a wide range of power measurement, high accuracy and a self-calibration function, Handheld Optical Power Meter (model C0260003) ideal for fiber network installation, acceptance testing and maintenance, and Portable Optical Power Meter (C0260005) which is an ideal solution for optical cable construction, optical fiber attenuation measurement, optical fiber communication systems and optical fiber sensors.

SCTE Adopts Fusion Splicing Standard

The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) has approved SCTE 134 2012, Fusion Splicing Equipment and Applications for the Cable/Broadband Industry. 

The standard defines the equipment, methods, and practices used within the cable/broadband industry to obtain consistent low loss fusion splice connections between optical fibers. 

The document is available at http://www.scte.org/standards/Standards_Available.aspx

Fiber Optic Sensors Monthly Journal - January (2012)

Monthly Journal Published: The first-week of each month

Fee:                 No Charge (12-issues) for Existing FO Sensor Forecast Clients*

Fee:                 $1,200 per year (12-issues) for Monthly Journals - only

SUBSCRIPTION: Plesae contact me at - stephen_montgomery@electronicastconsultants.com 

ElectroniCast publishes a summary-level report of the latest market and technology trends covering the area of fiber optic sensors

* Clients that have subscribed to the Fiber Optic Sensors Global Market Forecast and Analysis, within the last 12-months

This journal provides a review and analysis of current market and technology trends relative to the consumption of communication-based fiber optic sensors. The journal (PDF file: typically 30-40 pages), released at the beginning of each month, via e-mail, providing our clients with insights to the innovative applications of fiber optic sensors.

The journal typically presents information in three sections:

           

·        Fiber Optic Sensors – Market Overview

      ·        Selected Highlights of Technology Presentations and Company News

·        Calendar – Future Conferences                 

Summary-level consumption trends are provided for various measurand or technology.  The trends for each selected sensor, in turn, is segmented into various applications. The information is presented in easy-to-follow illustrations and text. 

The complete quantitative Microsoft Excel market forecast worksheets and competitive market share estimates are released every September for clients that subscribe to the Fiber Optic Sensors Market Forecast annual report; however, the monthly reports provide summary-level market forecast data updates and the latest industry news.

For professionals concerned with fiber optic sensor markets and technology. 

We believe you will find this journal useful for your planning of product and market development.  Please contact us with any questions or comments.

SAMPLE – the Table of Contents of the January (2012) journal is provided below:

Table of Contents

Fiber Optic Sensors used in Tunnels

            Fiber Optic Tunnel Detection System 

            Qinling Zhongnanshan Road Tunnel 

            Siemens BT China  

            Fiber Sensors in Road Tunnels

            RAMAN Scattering Fiber Optic Sensors

            LIOS Technology GmbH 

            Technology  (LIOS Technology GmbH)

            Raman scattering is a quantum-mechanical effect

            Raman-based Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS)

            Multi-Channel Fiber Gratings  

            Long-Gage Fiber Optic Sensors towards Structural Health Monitoring

                     

Selected Highlights of Technology Presentations and Company News                               

            Financial News: EMCORE Corporation Announces Financial Fourth Quarter

            Boeing and Northrop Grumman: Contract from US Missile Defense

            Company Spotlight: Chiral Photonics, Inc.

            Financial News: KVH Receives $7.6 Million FOG Order       

            Financial News: KVH Receives $2.5 Million Multi-year DSP-3000 FOG Order

            Company News: Luna Innovations Sets New Strategy for Future

            Company News: JDSU Announces Top Tech Trends for 2012

            Research Paper: A Micro-Optical Transceiver for Interferometric Fiber Optic Gyroscope

            Research Paper: Laser-Self-Mixing Fiber Sensor for Integral Strain Measurement

            Research News: New Technology Used to Record Antarctic Ocean, Ice Temperatures

                                                          

Calendar – Future Conferences                                                                                            

     

Fiber optic sensors use optical fiber either as the sensing element ("intrinsic sensors"), or as a means of relaying signals from a remote sensor to the electronics that process the signals ("extrinsic sensors").

The market trends discussed in the monthly journal address one or more of the following topics:

           

·        Fiber Optic Point Sensors: Component-Level

·        Continuous Distributed Fiber Optic Sensors

·        Optical Communication Signal Analysis Interface Components/Modules

Fiber Optic Point Sensors Applications:

·        Manufacturing Process/Factory

·        Civil Engineering/Construction (buildings, bridges, tunnels, etc)

·        Military/Aerospace/Security

·        Test & Measurement used in Telecommunication, CATV, Private/Enterprise

·        Biomedical/Science

·        Petrochemical/Energy/Utilities/Natural Resources

·        Automotive/Vehicle

Sensing/Measuring Quantity (Measurand) The monthly journal also looks at the industry trans and news pertaining to fiber optic point sensors, segmented further by the following sensing/measuring quantity (measurand) types:

·        Mechanical Strain

·        Temperature

·        Pressure

·        Chemical, Gas, Liquid

·        Vibration, Acoustic, Seismic

·        Displacement, Acceleration, Proximity

·        Electric and Magnetic Field - Fiber Optic Sensors

·        Rotation (such as Fiber Optic Gyroscopes: FOGs)

                       

Continuous Distributed Sensor Applications/Technologies covered in the journal:

·        Manufacturing Process/Factory

·        Civil Engineering/Construction (buildings, bridges, tunnels, etc)

·        Military/Aerospace/Security

·        Petrochemical/Energy/Utilities/Natural Resources

·        Biomedical/Science

Optical Communication Signal Analysis Interface Components/Modules         

These include components, sampling/interface modules and intra-enclosure (board-level) elements directly used for fiber optic sensing measurements, used in equipment such as –Oscilloscopes, OTDRs, Bit Error Rate Testers, Signal Generators, Spectrum Analyzers, and numerous other test/measurement/monitoring equipment used for communication/optical signal processing applications.  We discuss the trends, segmented by the following applications:             

·        Telecommunications

·        Private Enterprise Data Networks

·        Cable TV

·        Military/Aerospace/Security

·        Other

Through the course of the 12-month issue cycle, the journal will provide current news and analysis study of applicable technologies, including:

·        Interferometry

·        Intensity

·        Polarization

·        Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG)

·        Raman back-scattering

·        Fluoresence

·        Brillouin waves

·        Doppler Anemometry

·        Spectroscopy

·        Waveguides/ Specialty Optical Fiber

·        Optrode

Product and Financial news form various fiber optic sensor vendors are presented in the monthly journal along with a calendar of future conferences, which address the fiber optic sensor industry sector.

Fiber Optic Distributed Temperature Sensing at Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica

Half-mile long thermometers have been dropped through the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica that will give the world relevant data on sea and ice temperatures for tracking climate change and its effect on the glacial ice surrounding the continent. The study based at the University of Nevada, Reno is funded by the National Science Foundation’s Office of Polar Programs and other NSF grants.

“This technology is allowing us to do something never before done; to record continuous temperature data in and under the ice shelf,” said Scott Tyler of the University of Nevada, Reno, who led the team of researchers at the desolate spot about 25 kilometers from the McMurdo Station research outpost.  “The ice shelves serve as the ‘corks‘ holding the large glaciers of west Antarctica from sliding into the ocean and raising sea level.”
“The melting of the ice shelves from below by warmer ocean water represents a critical unknown in the assessment of Antarctic ice sheet collapse and the potential for very rapid sea level rise around the world. This will allow us to assess the potential for collapse,” he explained.

A team of scientists, led by Scott Tyler of the University of Nevada, Reno, spent two weeks on the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica installing fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing equipment to monitor climate change effects on the ice pack and its potential for collapse. The equipment continually records temperatures for every meter of the ice shelf and to the ocean bottom 800 meters below the surface. Photo by Scott Tyler, University of Nevada, Reno.

Tyler, a professor in the University’s College of Science, said the objectives of this first field season were to test the drilling design, test the fiber-optic installation and sensing and test the logistics of continuous monitoring and power system development for a full year of operation in the harsh Antarctic climate.
“The instruments are all ready for the winter now, with wind power, solar and camera set to record ocean temperatures through the seasons,” he said. “We’re already getting data downloads here at home eight times a day and the system is recording and sending temperatures and pressures perfectly. Our goals are to show that we can install these monitoring systems quickly and inexpensively, and then provide continuous data via satellite links throughout the long Antarctic winter.”

The system continuously records temperature every meter along the cable, which is made from standard telecommunications fiber-optic cable surrounded by armoring to withstand the harsh pressures and conditions of the Antarctic Ocean. After drilling 200 meters through hard ice, the team lowered 800 meters of cable, reaching the ocean bottom where it also can measure the currents. A second hole through the ice was drilled and the cable end was suspended about 50 meters below the ice shelf.

“We have fantastic data so far, showing a uniform ocean temperature at the freezing point of sea water, with warm water likely to appear at the ice-ocean interface in a month or so,” he said. “Amazing temperatures, from a cold of minus 22 C near the ice shelf surface (the annual average air temperature in the region), an exponential increase to the ocean at minus 1.9 C and then in the ocean a constant minus 1.9 C. We expect to see about a 1.5-meter loss in ice thickness over the summer.”

In addition to the data dumps throughout the day, the system will send photos of the installation from a stationary camera mounted on a tower at the unmanned site. The camera will allow them to see if the equipment withstands the harsh weather at Windless Bight, so named by early explorers Shackleton and Scott for the occasional periods of calm in an otherwise windy area.
The site is on the McMurdo Ice Shelf, a subsidiary of theRoss Ice Shelf. It was chosen to provide realistic ice sheet thickness and sufficient ocean depth and ease of logistics to adequately test power supply viability and data communications.

Members of the team working with Tyler on the expedition were David Holland of New York University, Victor Zagorodnov of The Ohio State University and Alon Stern of New York University.
Tyler pioneered the fiber-optic DTS systems for academic research three years ago. He and his colleagues have since used innovative fiber-optic/laser technology to take temperatures around the world in a variety of hydrological, climatological and geological topics such as to study glaciers, caves, creeks, mines, avalanche areas, volcanoes, farmlands and even water temperature at Devils Hole in Death Valley to help protect the endangered pupfish.

For more information about distributed temperature sensing and its worldwide use to monitor the earth’s temperature, visit www.ctemps.org or http://tiny.cc/j3fyr.

# # #

Nevada’s land-grant university founded in 1874, the University of Nevada, Reno has an enrollment of 18,000 students and is ranked in the top tier of the nation’s best universities. Part of the Nevada System of Higher Education, the University has the system’s largest research program and is home to the state’s medical school. With outreach and education programs in all Nevada counties and with one of the nation’s largest study-abroad consortiums, the University extends across the state and around the world. For more information, visit www.unr.edu.

Source:  
University Media Relations/MS 0108
University of Nevada, Reno
Reno, NV 89557-0108

Luna Innovations Sets New Strategy for Future

Company to focus on high-growth industries to drive revenue

ROANOKE, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE) Luna Innovations Incorporated (NASDAQ: LUNA) announced a new corporate strategy to grow revenue that focuses on serving high-growth industries with new technology solutions to measure, monitor, protect and improve critical processes in the medical, defense and composites industries.

The strategy, recently approved by the company’s Board of Directors, focuses on three key objectives:

–        Become the leading provider of sensing systems and standard test methods for composite materials by offering disruptive technology that revolutionizes the industry.

–        Continue to pioneer the way and be the leading supplier of fiber-optic shape sensing technology for robotic and minimally invasive surgical systems.

–        Be the leading choice for ensuring the integrity of integrated circuits used in defense systems.

“Over the past few months, our leadership team and board members have worked together to conduct a comprehensive analysis of our products, strengths, market position and market needs,” said My Chung, CEO of Luna Innovations. “We believe that our technologies, our people and our research and development, along with our partnerships in numerous industries, provide us with some very attractive opportunities.”

“Now, following a successful reorganization, we want to provide investors and other stakeholders with a roadmap to the future that emphasizes the compelling value proposition for markets we serve,” Chung added.

One example of a product implementing our strategy is the ODiSI (Optical Distributed Sensor Interrogator), Luna’s new sensing platform. It provides fully distributed strain or temperature measurements and delivers an unprecedented amount of data by using an optical fiber as a continuous sensor over up to 50 meters of surface. According to the company, compared to traditional sensing methods, such as strain gages, Luna's technology provides greater insight into the performance, tolerances and failure mechanisms of structures and vehicles. The company believes the technology will provide exceptional value to the fast-growing composites manufacturing market, particularly in aerospace and green energy applications.

Another growth opportunity is in the medical market. Luna currently maintains product development relationships with two leading players in robotic medical technology – Intuitive Surgical and Hansen Medical – and is working with both companies to support the development of high-speed shape sensing and localization of minimally invasive surgical devices using fiber-optic technology. The technology is helping to improve healthcare with advances in medical robotics and minimally invasive surgery.

“These are just a few examples of technology and markets where we’ve identified opportunities to increase revenues and market share,” Chung said. “Together with our continued emphasis on research and development and new focus on cultivating a high-performance team with the energy of a start-up company, we have mapped out a future direction that takes advantage of technology trends and high-growth industries to position Luna for what we expect will be a strong and promising future.”

About Luna Innovations:

Luna Innovations Incorporated (http://www.lunainnovations.com) focuses on sensing and instrumentation. Luna develops and manufactures new-generation products for the healthcare, telecommunications, energy and defense markets. The company's products are used to measure, monitor, protect and improve critical processes in the markets we serve. Through its disciplined commercialization business model, Luna has become a recognized leader in transitioning science to solutions. Luna is headquartered in Roanoke, Va.