Abstract

Brillouin optical correlation-domain technologies are reviewed as “fiber optic nerve systems” for the health monitoring of large structures such as buildings, bridges, and aircraft bodies. The Brillouin scattering property is used as a sensing mechanism for strain and/or temperature. Continuous lightwaves are used in the technologies, and their optical coherence properties are synthesized to realize position-selective measurement. This coherence manipulation technology is called the “synthesis of optical coherence function (SOCF)”. By utilizing SOCF technologies, stimulated Brillouin scattering is generated position-selectively along the fiber, which is named “Brillouin optical correlation domain analysis (BOCDA)”. Spontaneous Brillouin scattering, which takes place at any portion along the fiber, can also be measured position-selectively by the SOCF technology. This is called “Brillouin optical correlation domain reflectometry (BOCDR)”. When we use pulsed lightwaves that have the position information, sensing performances, such as the spatial resolution, are inherently restricted due to the Brillouin scattering nature. However, in the correlation-domain technologies, such difficulties can be reduced. Superior performances have been demonstrated as distribution-sensing mechanisms, such as a 1.6-mm high spatial resolution, a fast measurement speed of 5000 points/s, and a 7000-με strain dynamic range, individually. The total performance of the technologies is also discussed in this paper. A significant feature of the technologies is their random accessibility to discrete multiple points that are selected arbitrarily along the fiber, which is not realized by the time domain pulsed-lightwave technologies. Discriminative and distributed strain/temperature measurements have also been realized using both the BOCDA technology and Brillouin dynamic grating (BDG) phenomenon, which are associated with the stimulated Brillouin scattering process. In this paper, the principles, functions, and applications of the SOCF, BOCDA, BOCDR, and BDG-BOCDA systems are reviewed, and their historical aspects are also discussed.

Highlights

  • To realize a sustainable society, one important technology is “structural health monitoring (SHM)”for social infrastructures such as buildings, bridges, highways, pipelines, and so on

  • In 2008, we proposed and demonstrated “Brillouin optical correlation domain reflectometry”, BOCDR for short, in which the spontaneous Brillouin scattering that is caused along the sensing fiber is measured position-selectively [9]

  • Fiber Bragg grating (FBG), which are located along a fiber portion of a 10 m length, with a total measurement speed of 10 discussion will be done in Section 4.4.3, which is related to the random accessibility of Brillouin optical correlation domain analysis (BOCDA)

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Summary

Introduction

To realize a sustainable society, one important technology is “structural health monitoring (SHM)”. 1989, we proposed the “synthesis optical coherence function (SOCF)”oftechnology, as lightwave is modulated, for example, with an appropriate periodical waveform, so that a periodical another way for distributed measurement [15,16,17] In this technology, the optical frequency of a delta function-like optical coherence function is synthesized. When theperiodical sensing fiber length isso shorter continuous lightwave is modulated, for example, with an appropriate waveform, that a than the period the synthesized optical coherence peaks,is position selective measurement periodical deltaoffunction-like optical coherence function synthesized. In 2008, we proposed and demonstrated “Brillouin optical correlation domain reflectometry”, BOCDR for short, in which the spontaneous Brillouin scattering that is caused along the sensing fiber is measured position-selectively [9]. Varieties of research studies and developments related to optical correlation-domain distributed fiber sensors have been accumulated in various institutions, and these examples are shown briefly

Synthesis of Optical Coherence Function
Principle of Synthesis of Optical Coherence Function
Optical
Synthesis of Arbitrary-Shaped Optical Coherence Function with SOCF
Parallel
FBG-Based Multiplexed Fiber Optic Sensing with SOCF
10. Example of optical setup multiplexed sensing of fiber
Quasi-Distributed
10. This makesand the the intermediate shift in heterodyne
Distributed Lateral
Various Applications of SOCF Technologies
Brillouin Scattering-Based Distributed Fiber Sensing
18. Schematic drawing apulsed pulsedlightwave lightwave and detecting
Basic BOCDA System
20. Experimental
Overview of Performance Improvement Schemes for BOCDA
Intensity Modulation Scheme to Reduce Background Spectrum
Differential Measurement Scheme to Reduce Background Spectrum
Temporal Gating Scheme to Elongate Measurement Range
Double Modulation Scheme to Elongate Measurement Range
Time-Division Pump and Prove Generation Scheme to Simplify the System
One-End Access Schemes
BOCDA System with Intensity Modulation Scheme
21. Example
Scheme
BOCDA System with High-Speed Random Accessibility
30. Experimental
Application Trials of BOCDA
Brillouin Optical Correlation Domain Reflectometry
Basic BOCDR System
31. Basic BOCDR
31. Inthat
BOCDR Systems with Performance Improvement Schemes
33. Experimental measurement at the five-cm
Dynamic
38. Experimental
Generation of Brillouin Dynamic Grating in Polarization-Maintaining Fiber
40. Brillouin
B BDG-BOCDA Systems f
Conclusions

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