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

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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.