title: Radio-frequency low-coherence interferometry.
abstract: A method for retrieving low-coherence interferograms, based on the use of a microwave photonics filter, is proposed and demonstrated. The method is equivalent to the double-interferometer technique, with the scanning interferometer replaced by an analog fiber-optics link and the visibility recorded as the amplitude of its radio-frequency (RF) response. As a low-coherence interferometry system, it shows a decrease of resolution induced by the fiber's third-order dispersion (β3). As a displacement sensor, it provides highly linear and slope-scalable readouts of the interferometer's optical path difference in terms of RF, even in the presence of third-order dispersion. In a proof-of-concept experiment, we demonstrate 20-μm displacement readouts using C-band EDFA sources and standard single-mode fiber.
authors: Carlos R
authors: CR
authors: Fernández-Pousa
authors: José
authors: J
authors: Mora
authors: Haroldo
authors: H
authors: Maestre
authors: Pablo
authors: P
authors: Corral
mesh_terms: D007368:Interferometry / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008872:Microwaves; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D055100:Optical Fibers; D055620:Optical Phenomena; D011846:Radio Waves