Optical fibers for distributed sensing in harsh environments

Optical fibers for telecommunications are designed to transmit light in a relatively benign and protected environment. The design aims to ensure minimal levels of attenuation, optical non-linearity, and other detrimental effects caused by external perturbations. However, for distributed sensing in harsh environments, the waveguide needs to be optimized as a sensing media and the coating on the optical fiber needs to provide mechanical protection at elevated temperatures. In this paper, we will review our work in three critical aspects of the optical fibers for sensing in harsh environments: waveguide design, coating thermal stability and mechanical strength at elevated temperatures.