PHB2 Alleviates Neurotoxicity of Prion Peptide PrP via PINK1/Parkin-Dependent Mitophagy.

Prion diseases are a group of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by mitochondrial dysfunction and neuronal death. Mitophagy is a selective form of macroautophagy that clears injured mitochondria. Prohibitin 2 (PHB2) has been identified as a novel inner membrane mitophagy receptor that mediates mitophagy.

Highly sensitive torsion sensor based on a coupled optoelectronic oscillator incorporating nonlinear polarization rotation.

We propose and demonstrate a new, to the best of our knowledge, technique to implement a high-speed and highly sensitive torsion sensor based on a coupled optoelectronic oscillator (COEO) incorporating nonlinear polarization rotation (NPR). The COEO consists of a mode-locked laser loop and an OEO loop. In the laser loop, the NPR effect effectively induces intensity- and wavelength-dependent loss, which acts as a Lyot birefringent fiber filter.

Optical fiber strain sensor with high precision and extended dynamic range based on a coupled optoelectronic oscillator.

We have proposed and experimentally demonstrated an optical fiber strain sensor with high precision and extended dynamic range based on a coupled optoelectronic oscillator (COEO). The COEO is a combination of an OEO and a mode-locked laser, sharing one optoelectronic modulator. The feedback between the two active loops makes the oscillation frequency equal to the mode spacing of the laser.

Enhancing spatial resolution of BOTDR sensors using image deconvolution.

We propose to employ the image deconvolution technique for Brillouin optical time domain reflectometry (BOTDR) systems to achieve a flexible and enhanced spatial resolution with pump pulses longer than phonon lifetime. By taking the measured Brillouin gain spectrum (BGS) distribution as an image blurred by a point spread function (PSF), the image deconvolution algorithm based on the two-dimensional Wiener filtering can mitigate the ambiguity effect on the Brillouin response. The deconvoluted BGS distribution reveals detailed sensing information within shorter fiber segments, improving the inferior spatial resolution and simultaneously maintaining other sensing performance parameters.

Enhanced sensitivity of optical fiber vibration sensor based on radio-frequency Michelson interferometer.

We propose and demonstrate a new scheme for enhancing the sensitivity of an optical fiber vibration sensor based on microwave interferometry, which is realized by an incoherent optical Michelson interferometer (MI). The sensing arm of the MI is sensitive to environmental vibration; this will cause changes in the phase of the reflection spectra in the microwave domain. The phase sensitivity can be improved by adjusting the power ratio of the two beams in the interferometer and the driving frequency of the modulator.

Trace copper detection using in-line optical fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer combined with an optoelectronic oscillator.

We experimentally demonstrate a novel optical fiber chemosensor for trace Cu ions detection that is implemented by using an in-line optical fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) in conjunction with an optoelectronic oscillator (OEO). The MZI is fabricated by lateral offset splicing a section of D-shaped fiber between two single-mode fibers. It splices the broadband optical source into a sinusoidal-shaped light, which can form a single passband microwave photonic filter (MPF) by combining the Mach-Zehnder modulator, a segment of fiber and a photodetector.

High-precision strain-insensitive temperature sensor based on an optoelectronic oscillator.

We have proposed and experimentally demonstrated a high-precision and strain-insensitive temperature sensor based on an optoelectronic oscillator (OEO). The oscillation frequency of the OEO is determined by the single passband microwave photonic filter (MPF) by using stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS). The sensing fiber, which acts as the SBS gain medium, is exposed to temperature variations.

Polarization-insensitive colorful meta-holography employing anisotropic nanostructures.

Benefiting from advances in nanofabrication technology, emerging metasurfaces are promising for compact and wearable multicolor meta-holograms with large fields of view. However, due to the inherent electromagnetic properties of the structures that are used, current multicolor meta-holograms are often sensitive to the incident light polarization, which greatly restricts the application of meta-holography. Here, we took advantage of the amplitude properties of metasurfaces and the off-axis illumination method to carry out experiments involving polarization-insensitive colorful meta-holography with anisotropic nanostructures.

Distributed vibration measurement based on a coherent multi-slope-assisted BOTDA with a large dynamic range.

We propose a novel technique to enhance the dynamic range of a coherent slope-assisted Brillouin optical time domain analysis. A multi-tone probe and a reference wave are launched into the fiber under test (FUT); after interacting with the pump pulse, the Brillouin gain, as well as the Brillouin phase shift of each tone, can be demodulated simultaneously. In light of this, the strain information can be determined by the Brillouin phase-gain ratio of each tone.

Coherent optical modulation of graphene based on coherent population oscillation.

The optical modulation of graphene circumvents the "electrical bottleneck" in electrical field tuning of the Fermi level and motivates diverse graphene-based controllable photonic devices with extraordinary performances. Unfortunately, pervious optical modulation schemes are incoherent, and the Fermi-Dirac distribution formed from a strong pump laser prevents the absorption of a weak probe laser due to the Pauli blocking, making the modulation inconvenient and low in efficiency. Here we demonstrate the coherent optical modulation of graphene based on coherent population oscillation, where ground state population oscillates with a beat frequency equal to the pump and probe frequency difference.

Optical single sideband modulation based on a high-order birefringent filter using cascaded Solc-Sagnac and Lyot-Sagnac loops.

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a simple and flexible photonic approach to implementing single sideband (SSB) modulation based on optical spectral filtering. The high-order birefringent filter is realized through the cascaded Solc-Sagnac and Lyot-Sagnac loops. By adjusting the rotation angle of the polarization controller (PC), the notch position to remove undesired sidebands changes.

Simultaneous measurement of strain and temperature based on hybrid EDF/Brillouin laser.

Simultaneous temperature and strain sensing is experimentally demonstrated based on erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL) and Brillouin erbium fiber laser (BEFL) incorporated in a single ring laser cavity. The EDFL can be switched to BEFL by injecting the Brillouin pump into the laser cavity. Longitudinal modes beat frequency and Brillouin frequency shift are monitored to discriminate strain and temperature.

Photonic approach for microwave frequency measurement with adjustable measurement range and resolution using birefringence effect in highly non-linear fiber.

We experimentally demonstrate a novel approach for microwave frequency measurement utilizing birefringence effect in the highly non-linear fiber (HNLF). A detailed theoretical analysis is presented to implement the adjustable measurement range and resolution. By stimulating a complementary polarization-domain interferometer pair in the HNLF, a mathematical expression that relates the microwave frequency and amplitude comparison function is developed.

Mode conversion based on forward stimulated Brillouin scattering in a hybrid phononic-photonic waveguide.

We propose a scheme for on-chip all optical mode conversion based on forward stimulated Brillouin scattering in a hybrid phononic-photonic waveguide. To describe the mode conversion the theoretical model of the FSBS is established by taking into account the radiation pressure and the electrostriction force simultaneously. The numerical simulation is carried out for the mode conversion from the fundamental mode E11x to the higher-order mode E21x.

Simultaneous generation of a frequency-multiplied and phase-shifted microwave signal with large tunability.

We demonstrate a photonic approach to simultaneously realize a frequency-multiplied and phase-shifted microwave signal based on the birefringence effects in the high nonlinear fiber. The phase shift caused by asymmetric variations in refractive indexes of fiber between two orthogonal polarization states is introduced into two coherent harmonic of the modulated signals. By beating the phase-modulated sidebands, a frequency-multiplied microwave signal is generated and its phase can be adjusted by simply controlling the pump power.

Dual-wavelength laser speckle imaging to simultaneously access blood flow, blood volume, and oxygenation using a color CCD camera.

We developed a dual-wavelength laser speckle imaging system using a single industrial-grade color CCD camera with Bayer filters to simultaneously image changes in blood flow, blood volume, and oxygenation. One frame of a color image recorded with dual-wavelength laser illumination provides not only the intensity fluctuation of the speckle pattern, but also the dual-wavelength optical reflectance signal. The method was validated using a tissue phantom and cuff ischemia experiments in the human arm.