Analysis of Brillouin Scattering Based Fiber Optic Sensor Bonding Effects

Brillouin scattering based sensors can measure strain and/or temperature at all points along an optical fiber; first, the fiber must be calibrated. A problem arises because the temperature coefficient of a fiber bonded to a host is changed by the host structure. Using the loose fiber coefficient could lead to large strain and temperature measurement errors. This article studies the change in the Brillouin temperature coefficient due to bonding. The intrinsic Brillouin temperature coefficient of two fibers is also found. This coefficient allows accurate strain and temperature measurements to be made, assuming the coefficient of thermal expansion of the host is known.