Optimization of large-scale fiber sensor arrays incorporating multiple optical amplifiers. Part II: pump power

• Published in: Journal of lightwave technology Vol. 16; no. 2; pp. 224 - 231
• Main Authors: Hodgson, C.W., Wagener, J.L., Digonnet, M.J.F., Shaw, H.J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY IEEE 01.02.1998; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
• Subjects: Diode lasers; Erbium-doped fiber amplifier; Exact sciences and technology; Fiber-optic instruments; Instruments, apparatus, components and techniques common to several branches of physics and astronomy; Large-scale systems; Laser excitation; Optical fiber sensors; Optical instruments, equipment and techniques; Physics; Power amplifiers; Sensor arrays; Signal to noise ratio; Telemetry; Topology; Optimization method; Theoretical study; Doped materials; Signal-to-noise ratio; Signal processing; Optical amplifier; Wavelength division multiplexing; Sensor array; Erbium additions; Fiber optic sensors
• ISSN: 0733-8724; 1558-2213
• DOI: 10.1109/50.661014

For part I see, ibid., p. 218, 1998. We discuss how to minimize the pump power required for large-scale fiber sensor arrays employing erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) telemetry with respect to the number of amplifiers per bus, number of sensors per rung, and the gain per amplifier. For a large array, the pump power requirement is dominated by passive component losses along the array. We investigate several methods, including alternative array topologies, to reduce the power requirement while minimizing the impact on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). We define an optimum topology which requires less than 1 W of 1480 nm pump power per bus to support 200 high sensitivity (1 /spl mu/rad//spl radic/(Hz)) sensors on a pair of fiber buses, a power requirement that is reasonable and attainable with available laser diodes.