Polarization maintaining optical fiber multi-intruder sensor

In this paper, an optical fiber multi-intruder sensor based on polarization maintaining optical fiber (PMF), without any interferometric fiber loop, is introduced. To map the local coordinates of intruders on the beating spectrum of the output modes, radiation from a ramp frequency modulated laser is injected at the input of PMF optical fiber sensor. It is shown that the local coordinates and some characteristics of intruders can be obtained by the measurement of the frequencies and amplitudes of the output mode beating spectrum. Generally the number of beating frequencies is more than the number of intruders. Among the beating frequencies, a group with maximum signal to noise ratio is chosen. The short Fourier denoising method is employed to increase the sensor resolution. Because the output signal is the superposition of finite numbers of discrete frequencies this method is a powerful tool for denoising even for negative signal to noise ratio.

► An optical fiber multi-intruder sensor based on PMF is introduced.
► By use of mode coupling theory all possible beating frequencies are calculated.
► The mode beating frequencies are related to intruder positions.
► Amplitudes of the mode beating spectrum give some characteristics of intruders.
► By short Fourier denoising method, the sensor resolution increases.