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Spatial-division-multiplexing addressed fiber laser hydrophone array.
Rizhong Li1, Xinbing Wang, Junbin Huang
1Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, School of Optical and Electronic Information, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China.
Optics Letters
|June 1, 2013
Summary
This study introduces a spatial division multiplexing (SDM) method to expand fiber laser hydrophone arrays beyond wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) limits. The research demonstrates that low crosstalk in optical switches is crucial for maintaining high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in these arrays.
Area of Science:
- Photonics
- Acoustic Sensing
- Optical Engineering
Background:
- Fiber laser hydrophones offer compact designs and array construction via multiplexing.
- Wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) technology has limitations on the number of hydrophones in an array.
- Expanding hydrophone array capacity is essential for enhanced underwater acoustic detection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To research and develop a spatial division multiplexing (SDM) method for addressing fiber laser hydrophone arrays.
- To overcome the limitations of WDM in expanding the scale of fiber laser hydrophone arrays.
- To investigate the impact of optical switch performance on hydrophone array signal quality.
Main Methods:
- Implementation of an optical switch to address individual fiber laser hydrophones within an array.
- Utilizing distributed feedback (DFB) fiber laser hydrophones.
- Experimental evaluation of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in relation to optical switch channel crosstalk.
Main Results:
- A spatial division multiplexing (SDM) method was successfully demonstrated for addressing a fiber laser hydrophone array.
- Optical switch channel crosstalk was identified as a critical factor affecting the SNR of hydrophone signals.
- Achieving crosstalk below -20 dB is necessary for obtaining a good SNR.
Conclusions:
- The SDM method effectively expands the addressing capability of fiber laser hydrophone arrays.
- Minimizing optical switch crosstalk is vital for the performance of SDM-addressed hydrophone arrays.
- Combining SDM with WDM allows for the construction of large-scale fiber laser hydrophone arrays exceeding 64 elements.
