Long-range fiber-optic earthquake sensing by active phase noise cancellation


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Date

2023

Publication Type

Journal Article

ETH Bibliography

yes

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Data

Abstract

We present a long-range fiber-optic environmental deformation sensor based on active phase noise cancellation (PNC) in metrological frequency dissemination. PNC sensing exploits recordings of a compensation frequency that is commonly discarded. Without the need for dedicated measurement devices, it operates synchronously with metrological services, suggesting that existing phase-stabilized metrological networks can be co-used effortlessly as environmental sensors. The compatibility of PNC sensing with inline amplification enables the interrogation of cables with lengths beyond 1000 km, making it a potential contributor to earthquake detection and early warning in the oceans. Using spectral-element wavefield simulations that accurately account for complex cable geometry, we compare observed and computed recordings of the compensation frequency for a magnitude 3.9 earthquake in south-eastern France and a 123 km fiber link between Bern and Basel, Switzerland. The match in both phase and amplitude indicates that PNC sensing can be used quantitatively, for example, in earthquake detection and characterization.

Publication status

published

Editor

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Volume

13 (1)

Pages / Article No.

13983

Publisher

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Edition / version

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Subject

Organisational unit

03971 - Fichtner, Andreas / Fichtner, Andreas check_circle

Notes

Funding

955515 - Seismological Parameters and INstrumentation (EC)
183579 - Precision molecular spectroscopy using a network for distribution of the Swiss primary frequency standard (SNF)

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