High-performance multiplexed vibration sensor system based on fiber lasers - art. no. 683019

This paper describes a high-performance multiplexed vibration sensor system using fiber lasers. A serial vibration sensor array consists of four short cavity fiber lasers. The system employs a single, polarization-insensitive, unbalanced Michelson interferometer to translate individual laser wavelength shifts induced by vibration signals into interferometer phase shifts. A dense wavelength division demultiplexor (DWDM) with high channel isolation is inserted to demultiplex each laser signal as a wavelength filter. Finally, a digital phase demodulator based on the phase generated carrier technique is used to achieve high-resolution interrogation. Experimental results show that no observable crosstalk is measured on the output channels, and the minimal detectable acceleration of this system is similar to 200ng/root Hz at 250Hz, which is fundamentally limited by the frequency noise of the lasers.