High-noise-rejection fiber-optic probe for interferometric applications.

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Interferometry
• Fiber Optic Sensors

Background:

• Fiber-optic interferometers are widely used but susceptible to noise from the optical fiber link.
• Environmental factors and fiber properties can degrade signal quality in conventional designs.
• Effective noise reduction is crucial for enhancing the performance and reliability of fiber-optic sensing systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report a new fiber-optic interferometer scheme with enhanced noise rejection capabilities.
• To demonstrate a method for minimizing noise introduced by the fiber-optic link.
• To compare the noise performance of the proposed interferometer with conventional designs.

Main Methods:

• A novel interferometer configuration utilizing a single-mode fiber.
• Routing both reference and sensing beams through the identical path within the single-mode fiber.
• Experimental validation and comparison with a conventional fiber-optic interferometer setup.

Main Results:

• The proposed scheme achieves almost total rejection of noise originating from the fiber-optic link.
• Experimental results show significantly better noise performance compared to conventional fiber-optic interferometers.
• The setup demonstrates excellent stability and robustness against environmental disturbances.

Conclusions:

• The developed fiber-optic interferometer scheme offers a substantial improvement in noise rejection.
• This approach provides a more reliable and accurate sensing solution by mitigating fiber-induced noise.
• The findings are significant for applications requiring high-precision measurements in noisy environments.