Fiber Wavelength Meter Based on Fizeau Interferometer on wFBG for Phi-OTDR Signal Drift Compensation

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Interferometry
• Fiber Optic Sensing

Background:

• Accurate wavelength measurement is crucial for optical communication and sensing.
• Existing wavelength meters have limitations in precision or cost.
• Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBGs) offer versatile sensing capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the characteristics of a novel wavelength meter (WLM) based on a Fizeau interferometer (FI).
• To evaluate the performance of the proposed WLM using weak Fiber Bragg Gratings (wFBGs).
• To compare the new WLM with commercial and Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) based WLMs.

Main Methods:

• Development of a Fizeau interferometer (FI) based wavelength meter (WLM).
• Utilization of weak Fiber Bragg Gratings (wFBGs) as the sensing element.
• Comparative analysis against a commercial Angstrom WLM and a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) based WLM.
• Analysis of error characteristics and applicability with varying wFBG bases.

Main Results:

• The proposed Fizeau interferometer (FI) based wavelength meter (WLM) shows promising characteristics.
• Performance evaluation using weak Fiber Bragg Gratings (wFBGs) was conducted.
• Comparisons revealed the strengths and weaknesses relative to commercial and MZI-based WLMs.
• Error analysis identified key factors affecting measurement accuracy.

Conclusions:

• The Fizeau interferometer (FI) based wavelength meter (WLM) using weak Fiber Bragg Gratings (wFBGs) is a viable alternative.
• The study provides insights into the applicability and error characteristics of this novel WLM.
• Further optimization may enhance its performance for specific applications.