Synthesis of virtual Brillouin frequency shift profiles in BOTDA sensors using optical source dithering

We demonstrate a novel concept for Brillouin optical time domain analysis sensors that is based on synthesizing a virtual Brillouin frequency shift profile along the sensing fiber. The technique is based on modulating the wavelength of the optical source with a periodic waveform that is synchronized to the pump pulse. Application of this new tool to the compensation of non local effects and Brillouin induced noise in distributed sensors is experimentally demonstrated.The authors wish to acknowledge the financial support from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación through the project TEC2010-20224-C02-01 and from the Universidad Pública de Navarra