TY - JOUR

T1 - Signal Processing in Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometry Systems Based on Self-Sweeping Fiber Laser with Continuous-Wave Intensity Dynamics

AU - Poddubrovskii, Nikita R.

AU - Lobach, Ivan A.

AU - Kablukov, Sergey I.

N1 - This work was carried out as a part of the state assignment, state registration no. 122031600174-5.

PY - 2023/5

Y1 - 2023/5

N2 - We report on the development of an optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR) system based on a continuous-wave Er-doped self-sweeping fiber laser. In this work, we investigate the influence of the input data processing procedure in an OFDR system on the resulting reflectograms and noise level. In particular, several types of signal averaging (in time and frequency domain) and Fourier analysis are applied. We demonstrate that the averaging in the frequency domain can be applied to evaluate absolute values of the local scattering amplitudes related to the Rayleigh light scattering (RLS), which is associated with the interference of scattering signals on microscopic inhomogeneities in optical fibers. We found that the RLS signal remains unchanged in the case of signal averaging in time domain, while the noise floor level decreases by 30 dB with an increasing number of points from 1 to ~450. At the same time, it becomes possible to detect the spectral composition of the scattering at each point of the fiber using windowed Fourier transform. As a result, the sensitivity of the developed system allows us to measure the RLS signal at a level of about 20 dB above the noise floor. The described analysis methods can be useful in the development of distributed sensors based on Rayleigh OFDR systems.

AB - We report on the development of an optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR) system based on a continuous-wave Er-doped self-sweeping fiber laser. In this work, we investigate the influence of the input data processing procedure in an OFDR system on the resulting reflectograms and noise level. In particular, several types of signal averaging (in time and frequency domain) and Fourier analysis are applied. We demonstrate that the averaging in the frequency domain can be applied to evaluate absolute values of the local scattering amplitudes related to the Rayleigh light scattering (RLS), which is associated with the interference of scattering signals on microscopic inhomogeneities in optical fibers. We found that the RLS signal remains unchanged in the case of signal averaging in time domain, while the noise floor level decreases by 30 dB with an increasing number of points from 1 to ~450. At the same time, it becomes possible to detect the spectral composition of the scattering at each point of the fiber using windowed Fourier transform. As a result, the sensitivity of the developed system allows us to measure the RLS signal at a level of about 20 dB above the noise floor. The described analysis methods can be useful in the development of distributed sensors based on Rayleigh OFDR systems.

KW - Rayleigh scattering

KW - fiber optics

KW - noise floor level

KW - optical frequency domain reflectometry

KW - self-sweeping laser

UR - https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85160205950&origin=inward&txGid=7aa719890a933d58f75bd82daa49a11c

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/7e29a476-855b-3aa9-b4f9-29cf25cd2cbe/

U2 - 10.3390/a16050260

DO - 10.3390/a16050260

M3 - Article

VL - 16

JO - Algorithms

JF - Algorithms

SN - 1999-4893

IS - 5

M1 - 260

ER -