Recent advances in Brillouin optical correlation-domain reflectometry

Abstract

Distributed fiber-optic sensing based on Brillouin scattering has been extensively studied and many configurations have been developed so far. In this paper, we review the recent advances in Brillouin optical correlation-domain reflectometry (BOCDR), which is known as a unique technique with intrinsic single-end accessibility, high spatial resolution, and cost efficiency. We briefly discuss the advantages and disadvantages of BOCDR over other Brillouin-based distributed sensing techniques, and present the fundamental principle and properties of BOCDR with some special schemes for enhancing the performance. We also describe the recent development of a high-speed configuration of BOCDR (slope-assisted BOCDR), which offers a beyond-nominal-resolution detectability. The paper is summarized with some future prospects.