An improved technique for acoustic sensing involves, in one embodiment, launching into a medium, a plurality of groups of pulse-modulated electromagnetic-waves. The frequency of electromagnetic waves in a pulse within a group differs from the frequency of the electromagnetic waves in another pulse within the group. The energy scattered by the medium is detected and, in one embodiment, may be used to determine a characteristic of the environment of the medium. For example, if the medium is a buried optical fiber into which light pulses have been launched in accordance with the invention, the presence of acoustic waves within the region of the buried fiber can be detected.

There are provided methods and systems that enable the use of the backscattering pattern produced by an optical fiber in an OTDR trace as a signature (also referred to herein as the “RBS fingerprint”) to recognize an optical fiber. It was found that it may be difficult to obtain repeatable signatures as those are sensitive to the wavelength of the OTDR laser source and the temperature of the fiber. OTDR methods and systems that are adapted to compare the backscattering pattern in a more repeatable manner are therefore provided. Once the repeatability issue is overcome, such signature can be used for identification purposes and enable new applications.

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 optical fiber testing device (300) being plugged into a port at which optical signals including communication and test signals within different wavelength bands being received, comprises an optical connector (304) including a plug body surrounding a ferrule holding an optical fiber (301) and a reflector component (326) carried with the optical connector (304). The reflector component (326) is optically coupled to the rear of the optical fiber and reflects the test signal. A method for testing an optical fiber, comprises removably securing a reusable ruggedized optical fiber testing device to a ruggedized port of an optical fiber terminal to optically couple to an optical fiber under test, transmitting a test signal over the optical fiber under test, and using the reflector component to return the test signal over the optical fiber under test when receiving the test signal.

According to one example embodiment, a light-transmission-path-spectrum measurement device includes: a wavelength varying OTDR measurement unit that varies and generates a wavelength of measurement light to be transmitted to a first light transmission path, and also measures return light acquired from the measurement light being returned, by a repeater connected to the first light transmission path, via a second light transmission path connected to the repeater; an optical signal multiplexing unit that selects the wavelength of the measurement light being generated by the wavelength varying OTDR measurement unit, and outputs the selected wavelength to the first light transmission path; a control unit that controls the wavelength of the measurement light being generated by the wavelength varying OTDR measurement unit and the wavelength of the measurement light being selected by the optical signal multiplexing unit; and a measurement data processing unit.

In some examples, a tunable dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) may include a fiber optic link analyzer, executed by at least one hardware processor, to determine, based on a user input, for a fiber optic link of a plurality of fiber optic finks of a fiber optic cable, whether the fiber optic fink is active or not active. The DWDM OTDR may specify, based on a determination that the fiber optic fink is active, a test wavelength that is different from a data transmission wavelength of data transmitted by the fiber optic fink. A DWDM multiplexer may be collocated with the DWDM OTDR to selectively connect, based on the specified test wavelength, the DWDM OTDR to the fiber optic fink of the plurality of fiber optic links for testing of the fiber optic link.

In some examples, a tunable dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) may include a fiber optic link analyzer, executed by at least one hardware processor, to determine, based on a user input, for a fiber optic link of a plurality of fiber optic finks of a fiber optic cable, whether the fiber optic fink is active or not active. The DWDM OTDR may specify, based on a determination that the fiber optic fink is active, a test wavelength that is different from a data transmission wavelength of data transmitted by the fiber optic fink. A DWDM multiplexer may be collocated with the DWDM OTDR to selectively connect, based on the specified test wavelength, the DWDM OTDR to the fiber optic fink of the plurality of fiber optic links for testing of the fiber optic link.

An object of the present invention is to provide an optical pulse test apparatus and an optical pulse test method that are capable of determining a change in state of an optical fiber connection portion without the need for reference and without being affected by changes in gap interval before and after the change in state. The optical pulse test apparatus according to the present invention is configured to perform an OTDR measurement by using test optical pulses having spectral widths of from several nm to several hundred nm arranged at intervals of several ten nm to several hundred nm, calculate a reflection peak value caused by the Fresnel reflection at the connection portion from the obtained OTDR waveform, and determine a state such as water immersion of the optical fiber connection portion based on the value.

A process including the following steps: injecting in an optical fiber a first optical pump at a first optical frequency that evolves in time or not, and a second optical pump at a second optical frequency that evolves in time or not, the first optical frequency and the second optical frequency being different at each given time; a first detection of a first Rayleigh backscattered signal at the first optical frequency from the optical fiber, a second detection, separated from the first detection, of a second Rayleigh backscattered signal at the second optical frequency from the optical fiber; and analyzing the detected first Rayleigh backscattered signal and the detected second Rayleigh backscattered signal.

The present invention is to provide a backscattered light amplification device, an optical pulse test apparatus, a backscattered light amplification method, and an optical pulse test method for amplifying a desired propagation mode of Rayleigh backscattered light with a desired gain by stimulated Raman scattering in a fiber under test having the plurality of propagation modes. The backscattered light amplification device according to the present invention is configured to control individually power, incident timing, and pulse width of a pump pulse for each propagation mode when the pump pulse is incident in a plurality of propagation modes after the probe pulse is input to the fiber under test in any propagation mode.