Beyond a 10⁷ range-resolution^-1 product in an OFDR based on a periodic phase noise estimation method

Area of Science:

• Optoelectronics
• Optical Sensing
• Metrology

Background:

• Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometry (OFDR) is crucial for high-resolution measurements.
• Periodic phase noise limits OFDR performance, especially in long-range and high-resolution applications.
• Existing methods struggle to achieve high range-resolution product (RRP) with submillimeter spatial resolution over extended distances.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and demonstrate a novel OFDR method for enhanced range-resolution product (RRP).
• To precisely estimate periodic phase noise, a key limiting factor in OFDR systems.
• To achieve submillimeter spatial resolution over an 8 km measurement range.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a periodic phase noise estimation technique within an OFDR system.
• Utilization of a moving average filter to mitigate noise amplification during data processing.
• Application of a third-order Taylor expansion for accurate periodic phase noise estimation.

Main Results:

• Achieved a range-resolution product (RRP) exceeding 10^7 range-resolution^-1, a 2.5x improvement over state-of-the-art.
• Obtained a spatial resolution of 535 μm across an 8 km measurement range.
• Demonstrated effective suppression of noise amplification and precise phase noise estimation.

Conclusions:

• The proposed method significantly advances OFDR capabilities, offering unprecedented RRP.
• This technique overcomes limitations imposed by periodic phase noise in medium-to-long range OFDR.
• The developed method presents a promising solution for fiber network monitoring and sensing applications.