Modified dual Mach-Zehnder interferometers with new locating algorithm for intrusion detection

A new type of dual Mach-Zehnder interferometer (DMZI) scheme is presented to eliminate the polarization induced fading usually encountered in fiber-optic intrusion detection systems that use DMZIs. With such a new optical scheme, two identical signal waveforms with only a time delay that corresponds to the location of intrusion can always be obtained without using a polarization control loop. In the study, we also present a new algorithm for locating the intrusion-induced disturbance on the fiber. The experiments carried out in our lab have demonstrated that locating errors of <26 m can be obtained with the presented system used for detecting an intrusion point on a 250 meter long fiber cable. Also, the proposed DMZI system has been tested for years without changing any optical components except the laser type and the length of the sensing fiber. Notably, the thresholds for determining the intrusion have never been altered since the laser type was changed in 2018. In addition, detections of the clockwise and counter-clockwise signals have maintained a condition of high interference visibility, and the locating capability has remained at the same level.