Fabry-Perot Interferometric Optical Fiber Sensor Research Articles

Multiplexed optical fiber sensors using a single Fabry-Perot resonator for phase modulation

This paper describes the use of different optical return paths in a single Fabry-Perot phase modulator to perform coherence division multiplexing, and a combination of coherence and frequency division multiplexing of Fabry-Perot interferometric optical fiber sensors. A path-matched differential interferometry (PMDI) using low finesse Fabry-Perot sensors, one moderate finesse Fabry-Perot read-out resonator, and a broadband light source consisting of amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) from an erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) is used to illustrate the idea. The first, second and third order of multiple paths in a single Fabry-Perot read-out resonator are used to path-match three Fabry-Perot sensors. These three orders of path-matches provide a single, double and triple depth of modulation (phase-change) when the read-out is used as an optical phase modulator, and therefore provide a single, double and triple carrier frequency when serrodyne demodulation is used. The use of a single moderate finesse read-out Fabry-Perot resonator to simultaneously path-match coherence multiplexed sensors reduces the complexity of the optical system. Experiments and modeling are used to show the existence of the first, second, and third order of interference path-match conditions, and to determine the read-out configuration that enhances the visibility of the higher order path-match conditions. Using the multiple return paths in a single PZT-based Fabry-Perot read-out interferometer and serrodyne demodulation, several multiplexing schemes are investigated, and their relative merits discussed.

Stabilization of an embedded fiber optic Fabry-Perot sensor for ultrasound detection

A method is proposed to stabilize an intrinsic fiber optic Fabry-Perot interferometric sensor embedded in a solid material for the purpose of detecting ultrasound. Without stabilization the interferometer drifts out of quadrature due to the presence of low-frequency dynamic strains. Stabilization is achieved by using active homodyne stabilization which tunes the laser frequency to maintain quadrature. A control loop shifts the laser frequency by 10 GHz at rates less than 25 Hz in order to compensate for induced drifts. The stabilization procedure was tested for a sensor embedded in an epoxy plate. Ultrasonic pulses, generated by a 5 MHz piezoelectric transducer, were detected with the embedded fiber sensor stabilized in the presence of applied low frequency strains. Improvements in sensitivity which result from stabilization are demonstrated. Additionally, a simulated acoustic emission signal, generated by a lead pencil break (Hsu-Neilson source), was detected with the sensor stabilized in the presence of dynamic strains.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>