MRI: Acquisition of analysis tools for rapid optical fiber characterization with nm-scale resolution

该计划的目标是通过购买一台研究仪器，提高我们光纤制造的能力和效率，使我们能够直接在制造现场快速表征光纤。光纤的性能由其内部物理结构和折射率在其横截面上的分布决定。拟收购的仪器是一种折射率剖面仪，将为下一代光纤制造提供先进的工艺控制。智能的优点是将新材料和纳米结构集成到光纤中的独特能力，以及先进光纤对许多科学研究领域的根本重要性。该计划将允许探索具有特殊形状因数和材料组合的光纤中的新物理，并开辟光纤技术的广阔新前景。利用特种光纤的研究领域包括经典和量子光通信、光纤激光器、光纤传感和新的生物医学诊断和治疗程序。更广泛的影响是通过UCF、其他大学以及严重依赖我们先进光纤设施的政府和工业实验室内的大量合作来提供的。通过我们的教育项目，CREOL独特的光纤中心为培训技术娴熟、多样化的劳动力做出了重要贡献，以领导下一代光学、光子学和激光行业。

The objective of this program is to advance both capability and efficiency of our optical fiber fabrication through the acquisition of a research instrument that will enable us to rapidly characterize optical fiber directly on their fabrication site. The performance of an optical fiber is determined by its internal physical structure and the distribution of the refractive index across its cross-section. The instrument proposed for acquisition is a refractive index profiler that will provide advanced process control for next-generation optical fiber fabrication. The intellectual merit is the unique ability of integrating novel materials and nanometer sized structures into optical fibers and the fundamental importance of advanced optical fibers to many areas of scientific research. The program will allow exploration of new physics in fibers with special form factors and material combinations and opens a vast new vista of optical fiber technology. Research areas that utilize specialty fibers include classical and quantum optical communications, fiber lasers, fiber optic sensing, and new bio-medical diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The broader impacts are provided through a multitude of collaborations within UCF, other universities, as well as government and industrial laboratories that critically dependent on our advanced optical fiber facilities. Through our educational programs, the unique fiber optics center at CREOL is a key contributor to the training of a skilled and diverse workforce to lead the next-generation optics, photonics, and laser industry.