Recent progress in distributed fiber optic sensors based upon Brillouin scattering

Abstract

Results are reported from recent research on the use of the Brillouin gain/loss mechanism for distributed sensing. A theoretical model of the interaction of the pulsed and CW beams is described and compared with experiments. Results from a system with a 51 km sensing length are presented. Issues related to the variation within the sensing fiber of the polarizations of the two beams are investigated. The use of the system for simultaneous distributed sensing and communication is described along with a possible method to simultaneously measure temperature and strain.