Multiple vibrations measurement using phase-sensitive OTDR merged with Mach-Zehnder interferometer based on frequency division multiplexing.

A novel measurement scheme for multiple high-frequency vibrations has been demonstrated by combining phase-sensitive optical time domain reflectometry (Ф-OTDR) and Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) based on frequency division multiplexing. The light source is directly launched into the MZI structure, while it was modulated by an acoustic optical modulator (AOM) with a frequency shift of 200 MHz for the Ф-OTDR part. The vibration frequency is obtained by demodulating the interference signal obtained by the MZI structure, while the vibration position is located by Ф-OTDR system. The spatial resolution of 10m is obtained over 3 km sensing fiber. And the detectable vibration frequency reaches up to 40 kHz. Compared to the previous schemes, this system works without dead zone in the detectable frequency range. Furthermore, the frequency spectrum mapping method has been adopted to determine multiple high-frequency vibrations simultaneously. The experimental results prove the concept and match well with the theoretical analysis.