Sensors (Dec 2016)

High-Frequency Fiber-Optic Ultrasonic Sensor Using Air Micro-Bubble for Imaging of Seismic Physical Models

  • Tingting Gang,
  • Manli Hu,
  • Qiangzhou Rong,
  • Xueguang Qiao,
  • Lei Liang,
  • Nan Liu,
  • Rongxin Tong,
  • Xiaobo Liu,
  • Ce Bian

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/s16122125
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 12
p. 2125

Abstract

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A micro-fiber-optic Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) is proposed and demonstrated experimentally for ultrasonic imaging of seismic physical models. The device consists of a micro-bubble followed by the end of a single-mode fiber (SMF). The micro-structure is formed by the discharging operation on a short segment of hollow-core fiber (HCF) that is spliced to the SMF. This micro FPI is sensitive to ultrasonic waves (UWs), especially to the high-frequency (up to 10 MHz) UW, thanks to its ultra-thin cavity wall and micro-diameter. A side-band filter technology is employed for the UW interrogation, and then the high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) UW signal is achieved. Eventually the sensor is used for lateral imaging of the physical model by scanning UW detection and two-dimensional signal reconstruction.

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