Distributed Bragg grating sensing with a direct group-delay measurement technique

A new method of distributed in-fiber Bragg grating sensing is proposed. A method is outlined by which the strain field imposed upon a Bragg grating sensor is obtained by measurement of the sensor's reflectivity and delay characteristics. The proposal is demonstrated by interrogation of two loaded samples. Strain distributions from these experiments are compared against a theoretical estimate. The data treatment is also discussed. Strain resolution is found to be +/-24 microepsilon, with a spatial resolution defined by a minimum spatial wavelength component of the coupling distribution of 1.65 mm.