217 km long distance photon-counting optical time-domain reflectometry based on ultra-low noise up-conversion single photon detector

Opt Express. 2013 Oct 21;21(21):24674-9. doi: 10.1364/OE.21.024674.

Abstract

We demonstrate a photon-counting optical time-domain reflectometry with 42.19 dB dynamic range using an ultra-low noise up-conversion single photon detector. By employing the long-wave pump technique and a volume Bragg grating, we achieve a noise equivalent power of -139.7 dBm/√Hz for our detector. We perform the OTDR experiments using a fiber of length approximate 217 km, and show that our system can identify defects along the entire fiber length in a measurement time of 13 minutes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.