System and method of phase-locked fiber interferometry
| DWPI Title: Method for measuring optical data signal collected from sample in signal arm of optical fiber interferometer having signal arm and reference arm optically combined onto signal photodetector used in gyroscopes, involves injecting source beam |
| Abstract: A system and method are provided for optical homodyne detection in an optical fiber interferometer. A detection signal is obtained by interfering an optical data signal with a phase-modulated optical reference signal. The modulator for the optical reference signal is phase-locked to an oscillatory modulation waveform. In embodiments, the modulator includes a piezoelectric element. In more specific embodiments, the modulator is a piezoelectric optical fiber-stretcher. |
| Use: Method for measuring an optical data signal collected from a sample in the signal arm of an optical fiber interferometer having a signal arm and a reference arm that are optically combined onto a signal photodetector used in gyroscopes, hydrophones, and thermometers. |
| Advantage: The power requirement of optical homodyne detection system can be as low as 1.25 mill watt (mW) or less. The need for a homodyne fiber interferometer is stabilized against phase drift and can provide low cost, low power, low loss, and small physical footprint. |
| Novelty: The method involves injecting a source beam of light from a light source into the signal arm. An oscillatory modulation waveform is generated, having a frequency. A modulator (105) is driven in the reference arm with the oscillatory modulation waveform. The modulator is phase-locked to the oscillatory modulation waveform. Phase-modulating a reference beam of light from the light source to produce oscillatory phase modulations with a frequency that are phase-locked to the oscillatory modulation waveform, in the modulator. An oscillatory detection signal is obtained from the signal photodetector (102) with frequency that is responsive to a combined optical signal comprising the optical data signal and the modulated reference beam. |
| Filed: 12/2/2021 |
| Application Number: US17540500A |
| Tech ID: SD 14345.1 |
| This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-NA0003525 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights in the invention. |
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