Theoretical analysis of the relationship between the Brillouin gain coefficient and the strain in the optical-fiber sensors

The relation between the power of the Brillouin signal and the strain is one of the bases of the distributed fiber sensors of temperature and strain. The coefficient of the Brillouin gain can be changed by the temperature and the strain that will affect the power of the Brillouin scattering. The relation between the change of the Brillouin gain coefficient and the strain is thought to be linear by many researchers. However, it is not always linear based on the theoretical analysis and numerical simulation. Therefore, errors will be caused if the relation between the change of the Brillouin gain coefficient and the strain is regarded as to be linear approximately for measuring the temperature and the strain. For this reason, the influence of the parameters on the Brillouin gain coefficient is proposed through theoretical analysis and numerical simulation. © 2008 Tianjin University of Technology and Springer-Verlag GmbH.