Flat Multi-Wavelength Brillouin Erbium-Doped Fiber Laser Based on a Sagnac Loop for High-Sensitivity Sensor

Abstract

We have demonstrated the use of a flat multi-wavelength Brillouin erbium-doped fiber laser (MWBEFL) based on a Sagnac loop with an unpumped erbium-doped fiber (Un-EDF) as a high-sensitivity sensor. A Sagnac loop with a Un-EDF was used as power equalizer to achieve multi-wavelength power flatness by adjusting the birefringence beat length properly. In the experiments, the best result obtained in terms of Brillouin Stokes lines and output power flatness was ±0.315 dB and the optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) was 18.97 dB within a 33 nm bandwidth range from 1532.0 nm to 1565.0 nm. The flatness of the 33 nm bandwidth range varied from ±0.315 dB to ±1.38 dB and the average OSNR was about 17.51 dB. The peak power values of Brillouin Stokes lines observed under different wavelengths were extremely close and their range of fluctuation was about ±0.37 dB. These experimental results were close to our previous experimental values obtained using a passive Sagnac loop with a Un-EDF. The flat range covering almost the entire C-band has broad application prospects in high-sensitivity distributed optical fiber sensing and wavelength-division multiplexing.