Enhanced-Backscattering and Enhanced-Backreflection Fibers for Distributed Optical Fiber Sensors

Most distributed optical fiber sensors rely on commercially available telecom fibers, which are low-loss, inexpensive, and standardized. In the last few years, significant effort has been made to develop optical fibers optimized for specific sensing applications, with the view of improving the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) or extending the distance over which distributed optical fiber sensors (DOFS) operate. This tutorial reviews the efforts made by the scientific community towards the development of enhanced backscattering fibers and enhanced backreflection fibers, with a focus on DOFS.