Distributed Optical Fiber Sensor Demodulation System

This project?s goal is to produce a flight qualifiable tunable laser system specifically for use in optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR) based distributed fiber Bragg grating sensing applications. This work represent an enabling technology for NASA's requirement for distributed optical fiber sensing for health monitoring, aviation safety, and aircraft morphing programs. The work is based on the Phase I feasibility studies which generated two approaches for producing OFDR targeted laser systems. These systems have the unique combination of rapid tuning and immunity to mode hops. The proposed designs have reduced alignment tolerances and built in wavelength tracking. These features provide a level of hardening to environmental influences that will make flight qualification of the systems possible as well as cost effective. An integral part to both approaches is the incorporation of a high speed, high resolution, tracking wavemeter. This feature allows for the use of tunable lasers both with and without mode hops.