Fiber-optic sensors for acoustic studies and biological applications

This study is directed at the investigation of the applicability of various fiber-optic techniques in acoustic studies and biological sensing. The acoustic studies are conducted both at low frequencies, such as in audible sound and dynamic wave propagation measurements, and at high frequencies, such as in ultrasound for nondestructive evaluation. In biological sensing, an all-fiber-optic design biosensor with evanescent-mode coupling has been implemented and an enhanced biosensor using ultrasonic localization has been studied. The type of sensor considered for audible sound measurement is based on a combination of Fabry-Perot interferometry and intensity modulation. The technique provides information on both the amplitude and direction of the vibration and thus removes fringe counting ambiguity over a wide dynamic range, and still keeps the high-sensitivity property of interferometry. A novel microbend fiber-optic strain sensor was developed and applied to static and dynamic fracture problems and dynamic wave propagation studies. Static and dynamic fracture experiments and dynamic impact experiment have been performed and the results match well with the theoretical predications and the results obtained with electrical strain gages. The application of polarimetric fiber-optic ultrasonic sensors in nondestructive evaluation of materials is also presented. Theoretical analysis and experimental optimization have been performed and both immersion testing and embedding testing of internal defects of materials have been conducted and promising results have been obtained. For biological application, a compact fiber-optic evanescent-wave sensing system with all-fiber optical design and red semiconductor-laser excitation has been developed and tested. In this system, the fluorescent signal is confined in the fiber system so the signal-to-noise ratio is greatly improved and the sensor can be operated in ambient light conditions. To further enhance this biosensor, an acoustic manipulation method to concentrate the sample along the fiber probe was investigated. A bull\u27s eye type transducer and a two stage concentration method were proposed and implemented. One order-of-magnitude of fluorescence signal enhancement has been obtained and a Salmonella immunoassay has been successfully performed with this method. This acoustic manipulation technique provides a noncontact sample-handling method that can be employed in many biological applications such as biological separation, purification, and transportation