Compact, Temperature-Tuned OFDR Laser

To date, wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) has perhaps been the most popular fiber optic sensing method. Drawbacks of WDM exist, however, including the importance of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor locations, need for each sensor to have a unique wavelength, and limited number of sensors that can occupy any one data channel (~10). As a result, NASA has focused on OFDR, an alternative FBG interrogation technique based on laser interferometry.