Amplified fiber-optic networks for sensor multiplexing

Abstract

This work is meant to provide a review of the uses of optically amplified networks to resolve the problem of power loss compensation in fiber-optic sensor (FOS) networks. This is a key parameter in large multiplexing networks, particularly when employing intensity-modulated sensors. A brief discussion on the benefits of active networks versus passive structures in terms of the number of multiplexed sensors is provided. In particular, the advantages of distributed optical amplification, both erbium-doped and Raman, in bus architectures are analyzed. Since the inclusion of optical amplifiers generates a new source of noise, the different proposed topologies have been oriented towards the reduction of this amplification noise.