title: Note: Improving distributed strain sensing sensitivity in OFDR by reduced-cladding single mode fiber.
abstract: We present a method to improve distributed strain sensing sensitivity by a reduced-cladding single mode fiber (RC SMF) using a Rayleigh backscattering spectra shift in optical frequency domain reflectometry. Comparing with a standard SMF with 250 μm diameter, a commercial low attenuation RC SMF with 165 μm diameter is shown to enhance the strain sensing sensitivity by about four-fold. Using this property, the system using the RC SMF can achieve smaller minimal measurable strain (MMS) in the same sensing spatial resolution (SSR) or smaller SSR in the same MMS than using the standard SMF. In our experiment, the system using RC SMF can achieve the MMS of 15 μstrain with a SSR of 4.5 cm or the MMS of 3 μstrain with a SSR of 18 cm.
authors.affiliation: College of Precision Instrument and Opto-Electronics Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China and The Key Laboratory of Opto-Electronics Information Technology, Tianjin University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300072, China.
authors.forename: Zhenyang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: College of Precision Instrument and Opto-Electronics Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China and The Key Laboratory of Opto-Electronics Information Technology, Tianjin University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300072, China.
authors.forename: Di
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: College of Precision Instrument and Opto-Electronics Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China and The Key Laboratory of Opto-Electronics Information Technology, Tianjin University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300072, China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: College of Precision Instrument and Opto-Electronics Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China and The Key Laboratory of Opto-Electronics Information Technology, Tianjin University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300072, China.
authors.forename: Yonghan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: College of Precision Instrument and Opto-Electronics Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China and The Key Laboratory of Opto-Electronics Information Technology, Tianjin University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300072, China.
authors.forename: Zhexi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: College of Precision Instrument and Opto-Electronics Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China and The Key Laboratory of Opto-Electronics Information Technology, Tianjin University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300072, China.
authors.forename: Kun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: College of Precision Instrument and Opto-Electronics Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China and The Key Laboratory of Opto-Electronics Information Technology, Tianjin University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300072, China.
authors.forename: Junfeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: College of Precision Instrument and Opto-Electronics Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China and The Key Laboratory of Opto-Electronics Information Technology, Tianjin University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300072, China.
authors.forename: Tiegen
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Liu