title: Laser frequency-noise-limited ultrahigh resolution remote fiber sensing.
abstract: When a fiber Fabry-Perot is used in an ultra-sensitive strain detection system via a radio-frequency interrogation scheme, its frequency discrimination properties can be enhanced by reducing the linewidth of its resonance. This increases the signal-to-noise ratio, and thus suppresses the strain equivalent noise floor. We demonstrate this improvement in a long-distance high performance remote sensing system and show that in reflection, it can mitigate the effects of random phase noise introduced by Rayleigh back-scattering. In transmission, it improves the remote system sensitivity to sub-picostrain resolution, which surpasses any other long-distance remote sensing system to date. With the reduced fiber Fabry-Perot linewidth, all noise sources in the delivery fiber become irrelevant, as the transmission system is limited only by the pre-stabilized laser frequency noise.
authors.forename: Jong H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Chow
authors.forename: Ian C
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Littler
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: McClelland
authors.forename: Malcolm B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Gray