Ultrahigh-sensitivity low coherence otdr using Er ¹⁺ -doped high-power superfluorescent fibre source

Abstract

The first-known demonstration of an Er3+-doped superfluorescent fibre source coupled to a high-resolution OTDR based on low coherence interference (low coherence OTDR) is reported. Linearly-polarised light with 14 mW output from the source achieves a – 146dB minimum detectable reflectivity at 3 Hz bandwidth. The spatial resolution determined by spectral FWHM is 28 μm for silica-based waveguides.