APPARATUS FOR MEASURING AN AMBIENT PHYSICAL PARAMETER APPLIED TO A HIGHLY BIREFRINGENT SENSING FIBER AND METHOD

摘要

An apparatus and a method are provided for measuring an ambient physical parameter applied to a highly birefringent sensing fiber. A light source emits a low coherence light beam into a sensing fiber subjected to an ambient physical parameter. A collector receives the output light beam of the sensing fiber and a splitter divides the output light beam into two orthogonally polarized output beams and subjects the two orthogonally polarized output beams to a range of relative delays. A recombiner combines the two orthogonally polarized output beams to produce an interference pattern, and a detector detects intensities of the interference pattern over the range of delays. A calculating device determines the ambient parameter from the intensities with improved accuracy.