Realization of nano static strain sensing with fiber Bragg gratings interrogated by narrow linewidth tunable lasers

Aiming at realizing a static strain sensor of nano-strain resolution, which is required in most geophysical applications, this paper presents a thorough analysis on the strain resolution of a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) static strain sensor interrogated with a narrow linewidth tunable laser. The main noise sources of the sensor are discussed, and the strain resolution is deduced with a cross-correlation algorithm. The theoretical prediction agrees well with our experimental result, and the analysis is further validated by numerical simulations. Based on the analysis, the paper provides the guidelines for optimizing this type of sensor to realize ultra-high resolution. It is shown that with properly designed FBGs and interrogation systems, nano static strain resolution can be realized, as we recently demonstrated in experiment.