All-Fiber DBR-Based Sensor Interrogation System for Measuring Acoustic Waves

We investigate the use of all-fiber distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) lasers for fiber optic sensing. We measure the steady-state strain response and show that it is very similar to that for a simple fiber Bragg grating (FBG). The lasers can be wavelength multiplexed and support multisensor operation without crosstalk. We also verify the principle of wavelength-to-power mapping, which can simplify sensor interrogation. Finally, we demonstrate that all-fiber DBR lasers can be used to detect acoustic waves.