Abstract
In this work, an interferometric sensor has been interrogated 290 km away from the monitoring station, reaching the longest distance in fiber optic sensing up to date. This has been attained by employing a double-pumped random distributed feedback fiber laser as the light source for a fiber optic low-coherence interferometry scheme. Additionally, the capability of the system to achieve coherence multiplexing for ultra-long range measurements (up to 270 km) has been proved, without presenting crosstalk between the sensors. The use of coherence multiplexing together with a random distributed feedback fiber laser addresses two of the main limitations of long-range sensing setups: their limited multiplexing capability and the need to reach the maximum monitoring distance.
Highlights
Optical fiber systems for remote sensing have attracted a lot of interest during the last years due to their ability to monitor a large range of parameters at long distances, without requiring power supply at the sensor location
These results show the great potential of fiber optic low-coherence interferometry (FOLCI) schemes in remote sensing applications when using random distributed feedback fiber lasers (RDFB-FL) as the light source
Using the RDFB-FL structure previously presented, a sensor placed at a maximum distance of 250 km can be monitored by only injecting 3 W by one 1445 nm pump laser
Summary
Optical fiber systems for remote sensing have attracted a lot of interest during the last years due to their ability to monitor a large range of parameters at long distances, without requiring power supply at the sensor location. Random distributed feedback fiber lasers (RDFB-FL) have been investigated extensively owing to their particularities as light sources when compared to conventional laser systems [25] Their high power, mode-less behavior, stability and long cavities make them especially convenient for ultra-long range applications [26]. One local receiving interferometer has been required to scan the displacement applied to both sensors, without crosstalk This has been achieved by exploiting the particular properties of RDFB-RL, such as their high power and relatively short coherence length, in combination with a lowcoherence interferometry approach. These results show the great potential of FOLCI schemes in remote sensing applications when using RDFB-FL as the light source
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