Laser Doppler velocimeter based on the self-mixing effect in a fiber-coupled semiconductor laser: theory.

A laser Doppler velocimeter that consists of a semiconductor laser coupled to a fiber and that uses the self-mixing effect is presented. The velocimeter can be used for solids and fluids. A theoretical model is developed to describe the self-mixing signals as a function of the amount of feedback into the laser and the distance from the laser to the moving object. Good agreement is found between this theory and measurements.