After a brief introduction to some commonly used coherent and incoherent sources, and some stabilisation techniques, a variety of detectors commonly used in sensor applications are described. Emphasis is then given to scattering techniques and the most commonly used spectroscopies, which very often may simultaneously incorporate a variety of applications based on the interaction of light with matter, including the latest advances in THz measurement and instrumentation systems, are described. Finally, an introduction to optical fibre sensing is provided.

Inspec keywords: reviews; light scattering; measurement systems; fibre optic sensors; measurement by laser beam; optical sensors; photodetectors; bolometers; light interferometry

Other keywords: scattering techniques; incoherent sources; optical techniques; coherent sources; photodetectors; optical sensors; lasers; LED; optical fibre sensing; stabilisation techniques; Bode plot; atom interferometry; light-matter interaction; measurement and instrumentation systems

Subjects: Sensing and detecting devices