The Laboratory focuses on research in areas such as radiation effects on standard and special optical fibers, custom optical fiber sensors evaluation and calibration, distributed sensing with applications in structural health monitoring, sustainable environment or space-born systems.

Our infrastructure allows spectral evaluation of optical fiber sensors and single mode optical fibers in the range 800 – 1700 nm with under picometer spectral resolution and up to high scanning frequencies (3000 Hz). Depending on application the setup includes optical interrogators (1500nm-1600nm), optical frequency domain reflectometers (1525nm-1600nm), spectrometers and optical spectrum analyzers allowing characterization both in transmission and reflection.

Current applications include:

• Multiplexing long period gratings/fiber Bragg gratings for real time evaluation of gamma, mixed gamma-neutron or electron radiation field.

   

• Optical fiber-laser amplifiers evaluation when subjected to ionizing radiation

   

• Real-time monitoring of 60-Co gamma radiation using optical fibers and gratings for different configurations such as gamma chambers or 60-Co sources stored in water tanks.

Relevant publications:

• Stancalie A., Esposito F., Neguț C. D., Ghena M., Mihalcea R., Srivastava A., Campopiano S., Iadicicco A., „A New Setup for Real-Time Investigations of Optical Fiber Sensors Subjected to Gamma-Rays: Case Study on Long Period Gratings”, Sensors (2020), 20(15), 4129. https://doi.org/10.3390/s20154129
• Perez-Herrera, R.A.; Stancalie, A.; Cabezudo, P.; Sporea, D.; Neguţ, D.; Lopez-Amo, M. “Gamma Radiation-Induced Effects over an Optical Fiber Laser: Towards New Sensing Applications”. Sensors (2020), 20, 3017. https://doi.org/10.3390/s20113017
• Fan D., Luo Y., Yan B., A. Stancalie et al., "Ionizing Radiation Effect upon Er/Yb Co-Doped Fibre Made by In-Situ Nano Solution Doping" Journal of Lightwave Technology (2020), 10.1109/JLT.2020.3009618.
• Esposito F., Stancalie A. et al, "Comparative investigation of gamma radiation effects on Long Period Gratings and optical power in different optical fibers", Journal of Lightwave Technology (2019), ISSN: 0733-8724.
• Stancalie A. et al., "Arc-induced Long Period Gratings in standard and speciality optical fibers under mixed neutron-gamma irradiation", SCIENTIFIC REPORTS (2017), Volume 7, Article Number 15845. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-16225-4

Ongoing collaborations:

• Napoli “Parthenope” University, developing “arc-induced fabricated” long period gratings (LPG) for nuclear, space or medical applications.
• Fiber laser Department, Public University of Navarre, Spain conducting research on fiber laser amplifiers evaluation and fiber laser configurations.
• Cyprus University of Technologies on the evaluation of FBG gratings fabricated by fs laser inscription.
• University of UNSW Sydney, on the radiation effects over UV fabricated FBG matrixes.
• Key Laboratory of Specialty Fiber Optics and Optical Access Networks, Shanghai University, on developing and testing scintillation crystal optical fibers, radiation sensing fibers and integrated systems.
• Fiber laser Department, Helmholtz Institute, Jena, Germany on fiber laser applications under high vacuum.
• Institute of Microelectronics & Optoelectronics, Warsaw University of Technology, conducting collaborative research on coatings for fiber gratings with applications in harsh environments and medical field.