Long-range vibration detection system using heterodyne interferometry

We present the design and performance of an extremely sensitive coherent remote vibration detection system using optical heterodyne vibration of phase shifts produced by laser light scattered off a remote target. The resulting phase-modulated intermediate RF of 200 MHz, which carries the vibrational motion of the target, is demodulated down to baseband using an RF in-phase and quadrature demodulator. Acquisition and calculation of the target phase angle is carried out on a custom-made control board which utilizes high-resolution A/D converters, variable gain amplifiers, and a Spartan-6 field programmable gate array.