Dynamic gratings in optical fibers: Synthesis and sensing applications

We proposed two schemes of generating and localizing dynamic gratings in optical fibers: one is based on the gain saturation in erbium-doped fiber; the other is based on Brillouin scattering in the fiber. By using these dynamic gratings, fully distributed strain/temperature sensors have been demonstrated. In this presentation, we review the principles, basic schemes, and experimental demonstrations of the novel dynamic grating techniques.