BRILLOUIN REFLECTOMETER Russian patent published in 2012 - IPC G01N21/63 

FIELD: physics.

SUBSTANCE: reflectometer has a pulsed laser connected to a detecting element in form of a first piece of optical fibre through a first apparatus of enabling reception of backscattered radiation. A second piece of optical fibre is connected to the output of the first apparatus. A second apparatus can enable emission of continuous laser radiation into the second piece of optical fibre in a direction opposite the direction of propagation of the radiation scattered in the detecting element. A photodetector is connected by its input to the output of the second apparatus for enabling reception of scattered radiation and is connected to an information processing unit. A laser frequency control unit is connected to the information processing unit and can stabilise the frequency of one of the lasers and change the frequency of the other laser.

EFFECT: increase in sensitivity of the reflectometer without heterodyne mixing owing to narrow-band amplification of the Brillouin scattering signal in the detecting element of the Brillouin fibre amplifier.

10 cl, 1 dwg