Unbalanced Michelson's interferometer as a fiber optic distributed sensor of external signals

Abstract

The subject of this work is a novel fiber optic distributed sensor system. The system uses a technique called multiplexed reflectometric interferometry to measure dynamic strain in a network of single mode optical fiber sensors. The sensor is constructed on unbalanced fiber optic Michelson's interferometer is activated by series of double pulse. The time interval between those pulses depends on the length of the section of sensor. Acousto-optical modulator acts as an optical frequency shifter. A change in a frequency of electrical pulses exciting the modulator result in a frequency shift in each generated wave packet.