Experimental study of the method of synchronous frequency-hopping of the optical source for fading noise suppression of the coherent optical time-domain reflectometer

Plotnikov, M.Y., Ushanov S.A., Kunichkin D.P., Volkov, A.V., Podchufarov A.Y.

For Russian citation (Opticheskii Zhurnal):

Плотников М.Ю., Ушанов С.А., Куничкин Д.П., Волков А.В., Подчуфаров А.Ю. Экспериментальное исследование метода синхронной перестройки частоты источника излучения для подавления шумов замирания когерентного оптического рефлектометра // Оптический журнал. 2025. Т. 92. № 8. С. 51–61. http://doi.org/10.17586/1023-5086-2025-92-08-51-61

Plotnikov M.Y., Ushanov S.A., Kunichkin D. P., Volkov A.V., Podchufarov A.Y. Experimental study of the method of synchronous frequency-hopping of the optical source for fading noise suppression of the coherent optical time-domain reflectometer [in Russian] // Opticheskii Zhurnal. 2025. V. 92. № 8. P. 51–61. http://doi.org/10.17586/1023-5086-2025-92-08-51-61

For citation (Journal of Optical Technology):

Abstract:

Subject of study. The paper presents the results of experimental investigation of the method of suppression of fading noise of a coherent optical reflectometer based on synchronous frequency-hopping of the optical source. Aim of study. The main goal of the work was the measurement error reduction of a coherent optical reflectometer by using the method of synchronous frequency-hopping of the optical source by determining the optimal step and period of frequency-hopping to provide the maximum suppression of fading nose of reflectograms. Method. For the experimental study of the method in the coherent optical time-domain reflectometer the frequency-hopping of the optical source with adjustable step, synchronous with the frequency of sending optical pulses into the fiber under test, was implemented. As a criterion for evaluating the efficiency of the method, the standard deviation of reflectograms relative to the trend of optical losses in the optical fiber under test was used. Main results. It was experimentally shown that the use of synchronous frequency-hopping of the optical source allows to reduce the measurement error of the Rayleigh backscattering by a value of up to 8.8 times for the duration of optical pulses in the range from 1 µs to 100 µs. It was shown that increasing the period of reflectogram acquisition from 1.5 ms to 1 s provides a decrease in the fading noise lvel and measurement error reduction of the Rayleigh backscat-tering of the coherent optical time-domain reflectometer by a value of up to 5.8 times at the pulse width of 10 µs. Practical significance. The obtained results allow us to formulate requirements to the step size and period of the frequency-hopping cycle of the optical source to provide the minimum level of the fading noise and minimum measurement error of the coherent optical time-domain reflectometer.

Keywords:

coherent reflectometer, optical reflectometry, interferometric measurements, fading noise, frequency-hopping

Acknowledgements:

the research was carried out within the state assignment of Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (project No. № FSER-2024-0006).

OCIS codes: 060.0060, 230.0230, 250.0250

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