Applications of synthesis of the optical coherence function: one-dimensional reflectometry and three-dimensional optical image processing

Abstract

Optical coherence function can be synthesized in an interferometer by using direct frequency modulation characteristics of laser diodes. Recently we found that the additional phase modulation in one arm of an interferometer enables the synthesis of arbitrary shapes of the optical coherence function. In this presentation, at first, the principle of the synthesis of the coherence function is explained, and experimental results are shown. Next, phase-modulating optical coherence domain reflectometry by synthesis of the coherence function (p-OCDR), a distributed fiber-optic sensor by synthesis of the coherence function, and optical information processing by synthesis of the coherence function are mentioned, and recent experimental results are shown.