A Bragg grating-tuned fiber laser strain sensor system

Abstract

The development of a fiber laser sensor system which permits efficient interrogation of Bragg grating sensors is reported. A tunable erbium doped fiber laser which utilizes a broadband mirror and an intracore Bragg grating reflector in side-pump configuration is described. The wavelength of the laser oscillation is determined by the Bragg grating, which is remotely located and used as a strain sensor. This arrangement is used in conjunction with a passive wavelength demodulation system (WDS) to form a self-contained fiber laser strain sensor system, allowing efficient interrogation of the Bragg sensor. This device provides interrupt-immune sensing of static and dynamic strains with a bandwidth of 13.0 kHz.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>