Events Calendar

Random-Access High-Resolution Distributed Fiber Sensor

Speaker: Dr. Avinoam (Avi) Zadok, Bar-Ilan University in Ramat-Gan, Israel

Talk Title: Random-Access High-Resolution Distributed Fiber Sensor

Abstract: Optical sensing offers an attractive solution to the societal concern for prevention of natural and human-generated threats and for efficient use of natural resources. The unprecedented properties of optical fibres make them ideal for implementing a 'nervous system' in structural health monitoring: they are small, low-cost and electrically and chemically inert. In particular, the nonlinear interaction of stimulated Brillouin scattering allows for the distributed measurement of strain and temperature with tens of km range. However, the resolution of SBS-based measurements is inherently restricted to the order of 1 m by the relatively long acoustic lifetime that is associated with the process. In this talk, I show a novel, radar-inspired technique for random-access Brillouin scattering-based sensors, making a significant step towards a real optical sensing nerve. The measurement principle relies on phase-coding of both the Brillouin pump and signal waves by a high-rate, pseudo-random bit sequence. The Brillouin interaction between the two waves is shown to be equivalent to match-filtering processes that are prevalent in radar systems. Temperature measurements with 1 cm resolution are reported. The measurement range is scalable to several km.

Biography: Dr. Avinoam (Avi) Zadok received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Tel-Aviv University, Israel in 2007 (with distinction). In between 2007-2009 he was a post-doctoral fellow with the group of Prof. Amnon Yariv at the Department of Applied Physics of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Starting in 2009, he is a senior lecturer at the School of Engineering of Bar-Ilan University in Ramat-Gan, Israel, and a member of the Bar-Ilan Institute of Nano-Technology and Advanced Materials. Dr. Zadok's group research interests are in electro-optic devices and fiber-optic communication and signal processing.

Host: Alan Willner, willner@usc.edu, x04664

Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 539

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Gerrielyn Ramos