Frequency-difference Brillouin reflectometry of optical fiber parameters

Abstract

The paper discusses the variety of the Brillouin reflectometry technique proposed by the authors. The distinctive feature of this technique is the isolation of the differential frequency of Brillouin scattering signals which come from the inhomogeneity and the fiber segment adjacent to it. First, a number of components are allocated from the entire signal spectrum, each of which occupies a narrow frequency band. Each of these narrow-band components is further subjected to amplitude detection and averaged with the data of several measurements. The proposed technique allows implement the simplest and most convenient principle of constructing a Brillouin reflectometer, and also it enables to obtain Brillouin reflectograms from conventional Rayleigh reflectometers. This technique can find wide applications both in the field of distributed fiber-optic sensors and for early troubleshooting of telecommunication optical cables.