Pulse shape effects on the measurement of temperature using a Brillouin-based optical fiber sensor

Abstract

Distributed fiber sensing based on Brillouin gain scattering (BGS) principle is a useful way to develop devices capable to measure temperature or/and strain in optical fibers. New effects or technologies that could achieve a larger distance and/or a better spatial resolution are a topic of special interest in this fiber sensing area. The influence of the probe-pulse shape in the interaction between the pulsed light and the continuous wave laser in a pump-probe system is presented. The purpose of this study is to improve the spatial resolution of the measurement without losing stability in the BGS. Also it is showed how the backscattering Brillouin gain is affected by inducing variations on the final value of the BGS intensity; this effect is illustrated by using an experimental set up based on the Brillouin optical time-domain analysis (BOTDA). Theoretical analysis of the probe pulse in the Brillouin shift and intensity value using triangular, sinc and saw tooth shapes around the medium phonon life time (~10ns) are presented; as well as the experimental results and possible applications are explained.