Noise in adaptive interferometric fiber sensor based on population dynamic grating in erbium-doped fiber

Experimental investigations of the main noise sources that limit the sensitivity of the adaptive interferometric all-fiber sensors operating in the communication wavelength region are reported. Adaptive properties (i.e., the autostabilization of an optimal operation point of the interferometer) are enabled by the dynamic population grating recorded in a segment of the erbium-doped fiber (EDF) at milliwatt-scale cw power in the 1480-1560 nm spectral range. The utilized symmetric Sagnac configuration with low light internal reflections ensures reduced sensitivity of the sensor to phase noise of the laser, while intensity noise is reduced to an insignificant level by the balanced detection scheme. It is shown that the fluorescence from the erbium ions, excited by the counterpropagating waves recording the grating, increases the noise level from the fundamental shot noise approximately by a factor of 2-3 only. It is also shown that conventional communication distributed feedback (DFB) semiconductor lasers with megahertz linewidth are not suitable for high-sensitivity applications of such sensors. Because of inevitable backreflections from the output terminal devices (photodiodes, insulators, circulator), the above-mentioned fundamental noise level is increased by 2 orders of magnitude due to high phase noise of the DFB laser.