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In this work, an evanescent Bragg grating sensor inscribed in a few-mode planar polymer waveguide was integrated into microchannel structures and characterized by various chemical applications. The planar waveguide and the microchannels consisted of epoxide-based polymers. The Bragg grating structure was postprocessed by using point-by-point direct inscription technology. By monitoring the central wavelength shift of the reflected Bragg signal, the sensor showed a temperature sensitivity of -47.75 pm/K. Moreover, the functionality of the evanescent field-based measurements is demonstrated with two application examples: the refractive index sensing of different aqueous solutions and gas-phase hydrogen concentration detection. For the latter application, the sensor was additionally coated with a functional layer based on palladium nanoparticles. During the refractive index sensing measurement, the sensor achieved a sensitivity of 6.5 nm/RIU from air to 99.9% pure isopropyl alcohol. For the gas-phase hydrogen detection, the coated sensor achieved a reproducible concentration detection up to 4 vol% hydrogen. According to the reported experimental results, the integrated Bragg-grating-based waveguide sensor demonstrates high potential for applications based on the lab-on-a-chip concept.

Long-flying sparks are an essential part of several pyrotechnic effects. Unfortunately, and in contrast to colored flames, the color space of sparks is basically limited to the black body curve. With low-boiling-point metals, vapor-phase combustion and bright colorful flashes are achievable. Since 1999, alloys of rare-earth elements have been proposed for colorful spark generation. To the best of our knowledge, here, we present the first investigation of such alloys to change the color of sparks beyond the black body limit. Alloys consisting of >65 at. % of a brightly emitting and low-boiling-point metal and a carrier metal allow achieving long-flying deeply colored sparks. Besides the color, branching of sparks is crucial for the visual appearance. Rare-earth metals were found to promote branching of different alloys. Finally, fountains ejecting golden/green sparks based on a stable eutectic Yb-Cu alloy and continuously branching sparks based on Nd 2 Fe 14 B are presented., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2022 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Coatings based on titanium nitrides, titanium carbides and silicon carbides can optimize the surface properties of titanium or silicon for various applications ranging from biocompatibility to chemical stability and durability. Here, we investigated a high power (100 W) high pulse repetition rate femtosecond laser process (λ=1030 nm, τ=750 fs, f=1 MHz) for the treatment of titanium and silicon in atmospheres of argon, nitrogen, methane, ethene and acetylene. In a nitrogen atmosphere, a homogeneous coating of TiON is formed on titanium. In an ethene/argon atmosphere coatings of TiOC and SiC are formed on Ti and Si, respectively. The process allows a fast surface transformation with a process rate of 0.33 cm 2  s -1 and a high spatial resolution below 0.5 mm with a minimal heat affected zone at the same time. In contrast to low repetition rate femtosecond laser processed samples, the surfaces are more robust against mechanical impact. At the same time, the surfaces reveal a distinct microstructure in comparison to coatings obtained by vapor deposition techniques., (© 2021 The Authors. ChemPlusChem published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Invited for this month's cover is the group of Prof. Eike G. Hübner at Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute HHI, Goslar and Clausthal University of Technology, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany. The cover picture shows a titanium plate, on which the crystal structure (golden circle=Ti, blue circle=O/N/C) of isomorphous TiO, TiN or TiC, respectively, has been engraved by a high-power high pulse repetition rate femtosecond laser process. The process allows for a fast and spatially resolved surface transformation of titanium to golden TiN, blue TiO/TiO 2 or black TiC in an atmosphere of nitrogen, air or ethene/argon. The background represents a typical surface microstructure of these interstitial compounds obtained during this transformation. Read the full text of the article at 10.1002/cplu.202100118., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The dispersion of aerosols was studied experimentally in several concert halls to evaluate their airborne route and thus the risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spreading. For this, a dummy was used that emits simulated human breath containing aerosols (mean diameter of 0.3 μm) and CO 2 , with a horizontal exhalation velocity of v = 2.4 m/s, measured 10 cm in front of the mouth. Aerosol and CO 2 concentration profiles were mapped using sensors placed around the dummy. No substantial enrichment of aerosols and CO 2 was found at adjacent seats, provided that (1) there were floor displacement outlets under each seat enabling a minimum local fresh air vertical flow of v v = 0.05 m/s, (2) the air exchange rate (ACH) was more than 3, and (3) the dummy wore a surgical face mask. Knowledge of dispersion of viral droplets by airborne routes in real environments will help in risk assessment when re-opening concert halls and theatres after a pandemic lockdown., (Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Molecular gases are highly relevant in healthcare, production control, safety, and environmental monitoring. They often appear in small concentrations. The measurement of trace gases has increasingly become a key technique in those domains. Quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) is a suitable method that can provide the required low detection limits in such applications at comparatively low cost and small size. For mobile implementation, the size of an entire sensor unit matters. In this paper, we present a QEPAS sensor that fits into a standard butterfly package, its characterization, and its application on C H 4 and C O 2 .

The dispersion of small aerosols in a concert hall is experimentally studied for estimating the risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2 during a concert. A mannequin was modified to emit an air stream containing aerosols and CO 2 . The aerosols have a size distribution with a peak diameter (δ) close to 0.3 µm and a horizontal initial particle velocity (vp,x) of 2.4 m/s. The CO 2 -concentration (c) emitted simultaneously is 7500 ppm. It is investigated, if the spatial dissipation of aerosols and CO 2 can be correlated. This would allow the use of technically easier CO 2 measurements to monitor compliance with aerosol concentration limits. Both aerosol and CO 2 concentrations are mapped by different sensors placed around the mannequin. As a result, no significant enrichment of aerosols and CO 2 was obtained outside a radius of 1.5 m when the fresh air ventilation in the concert hall has a steady vertical flow with a velocity of vg,z=0.05 m/s and the installed ventilation system was operating at an air change rate per hour (ACH) of 3, corresponding to an air exchange rate of 51,000 m 3 /h. A Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.77 was obtained for CO 2 and aerosol concentrations measured simultaneously at different positions within the concert hall.

A conical microstructure is one of the most versatile surface textures obtained by ultrashort laser micromachining. Besides an increased surface area, unique surface properties such as superhydrophilicity, increased absorptivity; and thermal emissivity can be tailored. On metals, usually ultrashort laser pulses in the femtosecond to low picosecond range are used to obtain these surface structures, whereas nanosecond laser pulses favor melting processes. Herein, we report on an investigation of reactive gas atmospheres such as oxygen, steam, and halogens during laser micromachining of aluminum with 6 ns laser pulses. At a reduced pressure of 20 hPa (air) with additional iodine vapor as reactive species, we found a perfectly microconical structured surface to be formed with nanosecond laser pulses. The resulting surface structures were proven to be free of residual halogens. The application of nanosecond instead of femtosecond laser pulses for the surface structuring process allows to apply significantly less complex laser sources., (© 2020 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.)

Active anodes which are operating in highly stable protic media such as 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoroisopropanol are rare. Nickel forms, within this unique solvent, a non-sacrificial active anode at constant current conditions, which is superior to the reported powerful molybdenum system. The reactivity for dehydrogenative coupling reactions of this novel active anode increases when the electrolyte is not stirred during electrolysis. Besides the aryl-aryl coupling, a dehydrogenative arylation reaction of benzylic nitriles was found while stirring the mixture providing quick access to synthetically useful building blocks., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Cladding waveguide fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) provide a compact and simple solution for fiber shape sensing. The shape sensing accuracy is limited by birefringence, which is induced by bending and the non-isotropic FBG structure (written by femtosecond laser point-by-point technique). An algorithm based on an artificial neural network for fiber shape sensing is demonstrated, which enables increased accuracy, better robustness, and less time latency. This algorithm shows great potential in the application of high-accuracy real-time fiber shape measurements.

Optical sensors, such as fiber Bragg gratings, offer advantages compared to other sensors in many technological fields due to their outstanding characteristics. This sensor technology is currently transferred to polymer waveguides that provide the potential for cost-effective, easy, and flexible manufacturing of planar structures. While sensor production itself, in the majority of cases, is performed by means of phase mask technique, which is limited in terms of its degrees of freedom, other inscription techniques enable the manufacture of more adaptable sensor elements for a wider range of applications. In this article, we demonstrate the point-by-point femtosecond laser direct inscription method for the processing of polymer Bragg gratings into waveguides of the epoxy-based negative photoresist material EpoCore for a wavelength range around 850 nm. By characterizing the obtained grating back-reflection of the produced sensing element, we determined the sensitivity for the state variables temperature, humidity, and strain to be 45 pm/K, 19 pm/%, and 0.26 pm/µε, respectively. Individual and more complex grating structures can be developed from this information, thus opening new fields of utilization., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Femtosecond laser micromachining is an important and flexible method to generate precisely targeted surfaces on various materials. On titanium, the laser structuring process strongly depends on the laser parameters. For example, an increasement of the pulse length and repetition rate favors melting processes instead of ablation and microstructuring. We report on an investigation of reactive halogens (iodine, bromine, chlorine) and halocarbons as additives to the laser structuring process of pure titanium and the common alloy Ti-6Al-4V with 0.75 ps laser pulses. The choice of the halogen allows control of whether solely the chemical composition or the surface microstructure should be altered. Bromine was found to be an efficient additive to generate homogeneous microstructures based on micropillars at convenient conditions (air, atmospheric pressure). The resulting surfaces have been characterised by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, thermal emission infrared photography, reflective UV/Vis spectroscopy and contact angle measurements. The bromine/air processed titanium surfaces revealed superhydrophilicity, strongly increased thermal emissivity and a high absorptivity ("black metal")., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

A sensor for trinitrotoluene (TNT) detection was developed by using a combination of optical micro-ring technology and a receptor coating based on molecularly imprinted sol-gel layers. Two techniques for deposition of receptor layers were compared: Airbrush technology and electrospray ionization. A concentration of less than 5 ppb for TNT in the gas-phase, using electrospray deposition of the receptor layer, was detected. The cross-sensitivities to organic substances and further nitro-based explosives were compared. As a result, the sensitivity to TNT is about one order of magnitude higher in comparison to the explosives 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT) or 1,3-dinitrobenzene (DNB) and about four orders of magnitude higher than the organic substances phenol, ethanol, and acetone. The signal response of the sensor is fast, and the compact sensor design enables the deposition of different receptor layers on multiple optical micro-rings on one chip, which allows a more precise analysis and reduction of side effects and false alarms.

Developed societies with advanced economic performance are undoubtedly coupled with the availability of electrical energy. Whilst industrialized nations already started to decrease associated carbon emissions in many business sectors, e.g., by substituting combustion engines with battery-powered vehicles, less developed countries still lack broad coverage of reliable electricity supply, particularly in rural regions. Progressive electrification leads to a need for storage capacity and thus to increasing availability of advanced battery systems. To achieve a high degree of sustainability, re-used batteries from the electromobility sector are appropriate, as they do not consume further primary resources and still have sufficient residual capacity for stationary electrical storage applications. In this article, a blueprint for the electrification of a remote region by utilizing second-life lithium ion traction batteries for an integrated energy system in a stand-alone grid is presented and the implementation by the example case of a Tanzanian island in Lake Victoria is demonstrated. First, economic potentials and expected trends in the disposability of second-life lithium ion batteries and their foreseeable costs are outlined. Subsequently, key decision variables are identified to evaluate logistic aspects and the feasibility of the implementation of an off-grid electrical system in remote areas for economically and geographically unfavorable environments. The practical realization is pictured in detail with a focus on technical performance and safety specificities associated with second-life applications. Therefore, a new type of battery management system is introduced, which meets the special requirements of climate compatibility, low maintenance, enhanced cell balancing capability and cell configuration flexibility, and combined with a fiber-optical sensor system, provides reliable status monitoring of the battery. By carrying out on-site measurements, the overall system efficiency is evaluated along with a sustainability analysis. Finally, the socioeconomic and humanitarian impact for the people on the island is debated.

The MIR wavelength regime promises better gas detection possibilities than the NIR or the visible region because of the higher absorbencies simulated by HITRAN. In the MIR region are many important absorption lines of significant gases, which are relevant in healthcare, production supervision, and safety and environmental monitoring. One of those gases is methane. CH4 shows significant variations in absorbance with a maximum at 3.3 μm, which results in low detection limits in the range of low ppm. Interband-cascade- and quantum-cascade-based lasers emit at higher wavelengths, where the absorbencies of methane are higher. The comparison is done by analyzing the performance of two spectroscopy applications: tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy and quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy.

This Letter describes the design, production, and characterization of a 1×2 arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) for fiber Bragg grating (FBG) readout, centered at 850 nm, with a channel spacing of 1 nm. The employed manufacturing process is laser direct lithography, a low-cost, rapid-prototyping capable, maskless method that allows for short iteration cycles and simple migration of a successful design to mask-based high throughput methods. We also consider the achievable AWG performance if used for strain or temperature measurements with FBG sensors.

Point-by-point femtosecond laser processed fiber Bragg gratings are arranged around the edge of a standard single-mode optical fiber core. The relative amplitudes of at least three such fiber Bragg gratings are utilized to detect the central position of the mode field within the fiber core and calculate the local curvature of the fiber. An analytical approximation is given, and an experimental validation is performed.

In this research work, we show the successful inscription of fiber Bragg gratings into carbon-coated pure silica as well as germanium-doped glass fibers by applying the pulsed laser point-by-point manufacturing technique. First, the parameters used for the Ti:sapphire femtosecond laser process are demonstrated. Without removing the polymeric carbon coating, destruction-free formation of highly reflective Bragg gratings is performed with selected types of hermetically enclosed fibers. We demonstrate the advantage of the carbon coating by long-term exposure to a pure hydrogen atmosphere at an elevated temperature. Such harsh conditions exist in the oil and gas industry, which means there is high application potential for technologically advanced optical sensors. Compared to the also examined standard glass fibers with a distinct signal attenuation, carbon-coated fibers show no significant degradation. Finally, we analyze the mechanical stability of the processed fibers via standardized tensile tests. No substantial decrease in strength occurs among the sensor-integrated samples.

The measurement of trace gases has increasingly become a key technique in healthcare and other medical applications. Quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) is a suitable method that can provide the required characteristics in such applications for a comparatively low cost and small size. The quantitative detection and a low detection limit are also required by applications. In this paper, we present new results on sensing biomedically relevant gases using the on-beam QEPAS technique with some newly developed tunable high-power single-mode laser diodes based on GaSb material. The data processing and detection limit determination are done by a field programmable gate array device, as well as an automatic measurement of the resonance frequency.

A new and powerful active anode system that can be operated in 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP) has been discovered. In HFIP the molybdenum anode forms a compact, conductive, and electroactive layer of higher-valent molybdenum species. This system can replace powerful but stoichiometrically required Mo V reagents for the dehydrogenative coupling of aryls. This electrolytic reaction is more sustainable and allows the conversion of a broad scope of activated arenes., (© 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The wavelength, λ, range of 1.8  μm≤λ≤3.5  μm contains strong spectral absorption lines of many gases used in health, industry, safety, and medicine and whose sensitive and quantitative detection is desirable. However, the performance of InP diode lasers markedly deteriorates beyond λ∼2  μm. In this paper we present new results on developing tunable high power single mode laser diodes based on the GaSb material system with emission in the wavelength range of 1.8  μm≤λ≤2.2  μm.

In this Letter, a novel all-polymer arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) device with an operating wavelength around 850 nm is reported. The all-polymer AWG consists of polymer ridge waveguides fabricated on a thin poly(methyl methacrylate) foil via microscope projection photolithography. The developed device is suitable to be integrated into optical circuits, e.g., a planar polymer foil and, along with other optical integrated devices, to be used for different sensing applications. The functionality of the device is demonstrated by using a fiber Bragg grating sensor and performing strain measurements.

Femtosecond laser pulses were used for the direct point-by-point inscription of waveguides into the cladding of standard single-mode fibers. Homogeneous S-shaped waveguides have been processed as a bundle of overlapping lines without damaging the surrounding material. Within these structures, FBGs have been successfully inscribed and characterized. A sensor device to measure the bending direction of a fiber was created by two perpendicular inscribed cladding waveguides with FBG. Finally, a complete 3D shape sensor consisting of several bending sensor planes, capable of detecting bending radii even below 2.5 cm is demonstrated.

A new sensor for methane and carbon dioxide concentration measurements in biogas plants is presented. LEDs in the mid infrared spectral region are implemented as low cost light source. The combination of quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy with an absorption path leads to a sensor setup suitable for the harsh application environment. The sensor system contains an electronics unit and the two gas sensors; it was designed to work as standalone device and was tested in a biogas plant for several weeks. Gas concentration dependent measurements show a precision better than 1% in a range between 40% and 60% target gas concentration for both sensors. Concentration dependent measurements with different background gases show a considerable decrease in cross sensitivity against the major components of biogas in direct comparison to common absorption based sensors.

Waveguide bundles in bulk glass materials, consisting of several parallel scans of refractive index modifications, have been generated with a low-repetition femtosecond laser. Additionally, Bragg grating (BG) structures for 840 and 1550 nm have been introduced by segmentation of the central scan. A spectral loss in the transmission signal of >36  dB was achieved at 1550 nm with a second-order Bragg grating waveguide (BGW) in fused silica, which corresponds to an intrinsic grating efficiency of >16  dB/cm. This is to our knowledge the strongest BG structure realized in glass with a femtosecond laser. The BGW were proven to be stable up to a temperature of 250°C in fused silica. The diameter of the waveguide bundles can be adapted very easily for a broad range of wavelengths and have been demonstrated for diameters between 1 and 50 μm. The transmission properties of the waveguide bundles are affected minorly by the insertion of BG structures, which opens the ability for adjusting the BGW for a broad range of wavelength in single-mode or multimode optical circuits. BGW have been realized successfully in fused silica, borosilicate glass (BOROFLOAT 33), and AF 32 eco Thin Glass from Schott.

A novel fiber optical refractive index sensor based on gold nanoshells immobilized on the surface of an etched single-mode fiber including a Bragg grating is demonstrated. The nanoparticle coating induces refractive index dependent waveguide losses, because of the variation of the evanescently guided part of the light. Hence the amplitude of the Bragg reflection is highly sensitive to refractive index changes of the surrounding medium. The nanoshell functionalized fiber optical refractive index sensor works in reflectance mode, is suitable for chemical and biochemical sensing, and shows an intensity dependency of 4400% per refractive index unit in the refractive index range between 1.333 and 1.346. Furthermore, the physical length of the sensor is smaller than 3 mm with a diameter of 6 μm, and therefore offers the possibility of a localized refractive index measurement.

Femtosecond laser pulses were used for the direct point-by-point inscription of phase-shifted fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) in a single fabrication step without postprocessing. An electro-optic amplitude modulator is used in the setup to generate a defined delay between two identical laser pulse trains for the grating inscription. The grating structure with a central phase shift is formed by focusing the modulated laser pulses into the core of a fiber, while the fiber is translated with a constant velocity. The induced phase shift leads to a narrow transmission band with a bandwidth considerably below 10 pm within the stop band of the FBG. The inscribed FBGs show a birefringence of 3.9×10(-5) whereas their temperature and strain sensitivities are 10.4  pm/K and 1.4  pm/μstrain, respectively. The fabrication process is fast and offers a high grade of flexibility for the control of all grating parameters.

A fiber Bragg grating (FBG) interrogation system based on an intensity demodulation and demultiplexing of an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) module is examined in detail. The influence of the spectral line shape of the FBG on the signal obtained from the AWG device is discussed by accomplishing the measurement and simulation of the system. The simulation of the system helps to create quickly and precisely calibration functions for nonsymmetric, tilted, or nonapodized FBGs. Experiments show that even small sidebands of nonapodized FBGs have strong influences on the signal resulted by an AWG device with a Gaussian profile.

A fiber Bragg grating sensor system used for monitoring the effects of strain on the power cable of an offshore wind turbine is presented. The Bragg grating structure was inscribed into coated nonphotosensitive standard telecommunication fibers using an IR femtosecond laser and the point-by-point writing technique. Because of the presence of the protective coating of the fiber, the mechanical stability of the resultant sensor device is better than that of a sensor consisting of a bare fiber. A system containing this sensing element was to our knowledge for the first time successfully installed and tested in an offshore wind turbine prototype (REpower 6M, REpower Systems, AG, Germany) in February 2010, near Ellhöft (Germany). The fabrication process of the fiber Bragg gratings, measurement results of the online monitoring, and a comparison between the sensor signal and commonly used sensing techniques are presented.

A microring resonator sensor device for sensitive detection of the explosive 1,3,5-trinitrotoluene (TNT) is presented. It is based on the combination of a silicon microring resonator and tailored receptor molecules.

Molecular oxygen is detected at low concentrations using photoacoustic spectroscopy despite its unfavorable photoacoustic properties. The system consists of a seed laser diode, a tapered amplifier and a quartz tuning fork based spectrophone, thus employing quartz enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS). With this system a detection limit of 13 ppm is reached with a compact and long term stable setup. Further improvement of the detection limit is possible by adding suitable gases to the sample gas that promote the radiationless de-excitation of the oxygen molecules.

For the sensitive online and in situ detection of gaseous species, optical methods are ideally suited. In contrast to chemical analysis, no sample preparation is necessary and therefore spectroscopic methods should be favorable both in respect of a fast signal recovery and economically because no disposal is needed. However, spectroscopic methods are currently not widely used for security applications. We review photonic sensor devices for the detection of explosives in the gas phase as well as the condensed phase and the underlying spectroscopic techniques with respect to their adaptability for security applications, where high sensitivity, high selectivity, and a low false-alarm rate are of importance. The measurements have to be performed under ambient conditions and often remote handling or even operation in standoff configuration is needed. For handheld and portable equipment, special attention is focused on the miniaturization and examples for already-available sensor devices are given.

THz-sensing is an emerging technology that would be advantageous for a variety of applications in industry, biology, biochemistry and security, if small and convenient to use sources and detectors would be readily available. However, most of them are bulky, complicate to operate, and need cryogenic cooling. Here we present a new detection scheme that is versatile enough to detect electro-magnetic radiation within the whole spectrum, can be easily applied to the THz-range, and operates at room temperature. The mechanism is based on the resonant excitation of a quartz tuning fork.

Conventional fiber optic evanescent-field gas sensors are based on a high number of total reflections while the gas is passing the active bare core fiber and of course a suitable laser light source. The use of miniaturized laser sources for sensitive detection of CO(2) in gaseous and water-dissolved phase for environmental monitoring are studied for signal enhancing purposes. Additionally, the fiber optic sensor, consisting of a coiled bare multimode fiber core, was sensitized by an active polymer coating for the detection of explosive TNT. The implementation of ZnO waveguiding nanowires is discussed for surface and sensitivity enhancing coating of waveguiding elements, considering computational and experimental results.

A mechanical quartz microresonator (tuning fork) is used to detect electromagnetic radiation. The detection scheme is based on forces created due to the incident electromagnetic radiation on the piezoelectric tuning fork. A force can be created due to the transfer of the photon momentum of the incident electromagnetic radiation. If the surfaces of the tuning fork are nonuniformly heated, a second force acts on it, the so-called photophoretic force. These processes occur for all wavelengths of the incident radiation, making the detector suitable for sensing of ultraviolet, visible, and mid-infrared light, even THz-radiation. Here the detector is characterized in the visible range; noise analysis is performed for 650 nm and 5.26 microm. A linear power characteristic and the dependence on pulse lengths of the incoming light are shown. Examples for applications for the visible and mid-infrared spectral region are given by 2f and absorption spectroscopy of oxygen and nitric oxide, respectively.

What we believe to be a new optical approach for the identification of mines and explosives by analyzing the surface materials and not only bulk is developed. A conventional manually operated mine prodder is upgraded by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). In situ and real-time information of materials that are in front of the prodder are obtained during the demining process in order to optimize the security aspects and the speed of demining. A Cr4+:Nd3+:YAG microchip laser is used as a seed laser for an ytterbium-fiber amplifier to generate high-power laser pulses at 1064 nm with pulse powers up to E(p) = 1 mJ, a repetition rate of f(rep.) = 2-20 kHz and a pulse duration of t(p) = 620 ps. The recorded LIBS signals are analyzed by applying neural networks for the data analysis.

A compact mid-infrared (MIR) laser spectrometer based on difference-frequency generation (DFG) is applied as a portable and sensitive gas sensor for industrial process control and pollutant monitoring. We demonstrate the performance of such a MIR DFG gas sensor by recording the absorption spectra of the carbon monoxide (CO) P(28) absorption line in the atmosphere of a gas-fired glass melting furnace. For a gas temperature of approximately 1100 degrees C, the CO concentration in the recuperator channel is measured to be 400 parts per million.

A compact, rugged and portable fiber-optic evanescent-field laser sensor is developed for the detection of gaseous species in harsh environments such as volcano fumaroles or industrial combustion of glass furnaces. The sensor consists of an optical multi-mode fused silica fiber with jacket and cladding removed and the bare fiber core in direct contact with the surrounding molecules. The beam of a single-mode DFB diode laser with an emission wavelength centered at 1.5705 microm is coupled into the fiber. At the other end of the fiber an infrared detector is used to record the transmitted infrared laser light intensity. Due to the frustrated total reflection (FTR) and the attenuated total reflection (ATR) the laser intensity is attenuated when passing through the fiber. The FTR is related to a change of the index of refraction while the latter one is related to a change of the absorption coefficient. While tuning the DFB laser wavelength across absorption lines of molecules surrounding the fiber a spectral intensity profile is measured. Voigt functions are fitted to the recorded intensity profiles to estimate relative molecule concentrations. In this paper results from first field measurements at the volcano site 'Solfatara' in Italy are reported that use such a sensor device for simultaneous detection of H2S, CO2 and H2O directly in the gas stream of a volcano fumarole.