OPTICAL BRILLOUIN SENSING SYSTEMS

• Main Authors: VODHANEL RICHARD STEPHEN, LI SHENPING, LI MING-JUN
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 05.09.2013
• Subjects: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; MEASURING; PHYSICS; TESTING

According to one embodiment, an optical sensing system may include a gated optical amplifier, one or more triggering devices, and an optical coupler. The gated optical amplifier can receive a pulse signal and transform the pulse signal into an amplified pulse signal having an amplified peak portion. The triggering devices can control the gated optical amplifier such that the gated optical amplifier is in the lossy state while the baseline portion of the pulse signal is transformed and the gated optical amplifier is in the gain state while the peak portion of the pulse signal is transformed. The amplified pulse signal can be transmitted to the sensing optical fiber and a sensed optical signal can be received, when the sensing optical fiber is connected to the optical coupler. Optionally, a second pulse signal and the sensed optical signal can be combined and detected with a coherent balanced detection technique.