Underwater sounds detected by optical fibre NPL worked with Silixa to characterise their Intelligent Distributed Acoustic Sensor (IDAS) - the world's first truly distributed optical fibre acoustic sensor. The IDAS system is the world's first truly distributed optical fibre acoustic sensor (image courtesy of Silixa) Background The Silixa Intelligent Distributed Acoustic Sensor, or IDAS, works by picking up digital sound signals along an optical fibre cable. By measuring the time taken between launching a laser pulse along the cable and the signal being reflected back, the system detects an acoustic signal at all points along the full length of the cable - for up to 40 km. Essentially, the fibre acts like an acoustic antenna, picking up a signal that is then processed and used for applicati

Join for free to read