Brillouin-based fiber loss measurement for PON using ERA-BOTDA with differential width pairs of frequency-swept pump pulses

Abstract

We demonstrate Brillouin-based loss distribution measurement for passive optical networks with differential width pairs of frequency-swept pump pulses that can suppress the spatial resolution degradation, especially those created by large loss events typical of an 8-branch splitter. Based on the acoustic wave simulation of a frequency-swept pump pulse, we investigate the arrangement of the modulation frequency within the optical pulse. A preliminary experiment is conducted on a 5-dB loss event near an 8-branch splitter. The results show that the proposed technique can accurately measure loss events with a spatial resolution of better than 3 m.