Systems and methods for characterizing an optical fiber performed in part by an optical node (12) in an optical line system (10) include performing one or more measurements to characterize the optical fiber (16, 18) with one or more components (50, 52) at the optical node (12), wherein the one or more components (50, 52) perform functions during operation of the optical node (12) and are reconfigured to perform the one or measurements independent of the functions; and configuring the optical node (12) for communication over the optical fiber (16, 18) based on the one or more measurements. The one or more components can include any of an Optical Service Channel (OSC), an Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR), and an optical amplifier. The configuring can include setting a launch power into the optical fiber based on the one or more measurements.

An object is to provide a propagation property analyzing apparatus that can alleviate the influence of an error caused by crosstalk, and accurately evaluate a few-mode optical fiber that multiplexes a plurality of modes, in a distributional and non-destructive manner. Provided is a propagation property analyzing apparatus that analyzes propagation properties of a few-mode optical fiber that multiplexes a plurality of modes, which is an optical fiber under test, in a lengthwise direction thereof, through Brillouin time domain analysis, the propagation property analyzing apparatus including: means for inputting probe light in a desired mode from a distal end of the optical fiber under test; means for inputting a light pulse that is in the desired mode and that has a frequency difference equivalent to a Brillouin frequency shift in the desired mode, relative to the probe light, from a proximal end of the optical fiber under test, as pump light corresponding to the probe light; and means for inputting a light pulse that is in another mode different from the desired mode and that has a frequency difference equivalent to a Brillouin frequency shift in the other mode, relative to the probe light, as secondary probe light corresponding to the probe light, from the proximal end of the optical fiber under test.

Aspects of the present disclosure describe amplifier dynamics compensation through feedback control for distributed fiber sensing systems, methods, and structures employing Brillouin optical time-domain reflectometry.

A device for calibrating distributing sensing technologies is presented. The device includes an optical fiber, a first input arranged for receiving at least one optical pulse and injecting this at least one optical pulse towards the optical fiber, an output arranged for receiving a backscattered signal generated in the optical fiber. The optical fiber includes at least one event, each event being a part of the optical fiber and having at least one modified physical state or property that is different from the physical state or property of the rest of the optical fiber. The device includes structure creating different optical paths for the at least one optical pulse, the different optical paths having different lengths, each optical path passing through the at least one event. The invention also relates to a process implemented in the device.

An integrated fiber interferometry interrogator for generating superimposed waves is disclosed. The system is optimized for efficiency and vibration attenuation. The system comprises an optical light source for generating a first signal, a first signal splitter which splits the first signal into a reference signal and an interrogation signal, optical modulators for modulating the signals, a fiber coupler connected to a fiber under test, an isolator, a circulator with a plurality of connections for directing the signals, a signal mixer for mixing the signals into superimposed waves, and photo diodes for receiving the superimposed waves.

A method of distinguishing whether a detected change in reflected power in an optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) measurement carried out in a fiber optic transmission system (16) using an OTDR is caused by a an event causing actual attenuation or a change in a mode field diameter, comprising the steps of emitting a succession of first sampling light pulses of a first wavelength into the fiber optic transmission system (16) while a pumping signal with a second wavelength is emitted into the fiber optic transmission system (16), and measuring a first OTDR trace (34) resulting from the reflection of the first sampling light pulses in the fiber optic transmission system (16), such that the first sampling light pulses and their reflections interact with the pumping signal via stimulated Raman scattering. The method further comprises a step (36) of determining, based at least on information extracted from the first OTDR trace (34), whether the detected change is mainly due to an event causing actual attenuation or to a change in the mode field diameter in the fiber optic transmission system (16).

Aspects of the present disclosure describe systems, methods and structures and applications of optical fiber sensing. Of significance, systems, methods, and structures according to aspects of the present disclosure may reuse and/or retrofit/upgrade existing optical fiber cables as part of optical fiber sensing that may find important societal application including intrusion detection, road traffic monitoring and infrastructure health monitoring. Combining such optical fiber sensing with artificial intelligence (AI) further enables powerful applications at low(er) cost.

A method of optical sensing is disclosed. The method comprises coupling an excitation optical signal into a first optical fiber to induce Rayleigh backscattering, thereby providing a backscattered signal; coupling the backscattered signal into a second optical fiber, spatially separated from the first optical fiber; and optically amplifying the backscattered signal in the second optical fiber, thereby generating a sensing signal.

Reflectometric vibration measurement system to monitor multiphase flows in production wells or pipelines using multimode fibers comprising: a sensing multimode optical fiber; an optical source with at least one fiber output port, which generates optical pulses which are to be sent to the sensing fiber; an optical receiver with at least one multimode fiber input port; an optical device with at least 3 multimode fiber ports, in which one port is connected to the optical source, one port to the optical receiver, and one port to the sensing multimode fiber; a system for processing the output signals from the optical receiver, further comprising more than one spatial mode filter. A process for reconfiguring an optical reflectometry system which has already been installed in a monitoring structure is also described.

An optical fiber characteristic measurement device includes: a detector that detects Brillouin scattered light obtained by causing light to be incident on an optical fiber under test; a spectrum analyzer that obtains a Brillouin gain spectrum from the Brillouin scattered light; and a spectrum analyzing controller that: measures a characteristic of the optical fiber under test by analyzing the Brillouin gain spectrum to obtain a peak frequency of the Brillouin gain spectrum, and changes a frequency range used by the spectrum analyzer to obtain the Brillouin gain spectrum according to the peak frequency.