Fiber Bragg Gratings for Dynamic High Pressure Measurements in Shock Wave Research

Short Fiber Bragg Gratings of lengths 1mm and below are used to probe pressure changes in impact-induced shock waves with high spatial (0.1 – 1mm) and temporal (5-10 nsec) resolution. Spectra of light reflected by the gratings are measured with high temporal resolution without any assumptions regarding the spectral shape using a moderately priced detection system based on telecom demultiplexers, photodiodes and standard 200-350 MHz oscilloscopes.