• Optics and Precision Engineering
  • Vol. 32, Issue 17, 2708 (2024)
Wuxing LIUFU1, Yizhi LIANG1,*, Junjie CAO1, Xiaoxuan ZHONG1..., Jinying LI2, Wei HUANG2 and Long JIN1|Show fewer author(s)
Author Affiliations
  • 1College of Physics and Optoelectronics Engineering, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory on Optical Fiber Sensing and Communications, Jinan University, Guangzhou50632, China
  • 2Department of Gastroenterology, First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou51063, China
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    DOI: 10.37188/OPE.20243217.2708 Cite this Article
    Wuxing LIUFU, Yizhi LIANG, Junjie CAO, Xiaoxuan ZHONG, Jinying LI, Wei HUANG, Long JIN. Radio-frequency heterodyne detection of fiber-optic ultrasonic sensor[J]. Optics and Precision Engineering, 2024, 32(17): 2708 Copy Citation Text show less

    Abstract

    The detection sensitivity of fiber-optic ultrasound sensors is crucial for image quality in fiber-based photoacoustic imaging. In this study, we employed a dual-polarization fiber laser as the acoustic sensing element and introduced radio-frequency heterodyne demodulation for sensitivity enhancement. Experimental results demonstrate that this method effectively eliminates noise from additional local radio-frequency oscillation sources. The proposed technique achieved an improved sensitivity, evidenced by a noise-equivalent pressure (NEP) of 9.0 Pa, compared to the 5.7 Pa offered by previous approaches within the frequency range of 8-32 MHz. Furthermore, applying this sensor to photoacoustic microscopy resulted in a signal-to-noise ratio enhancement of over 4 dB. The heterodyne detection technology significantly improves the sensitivity and image signal-to-noise ratio of fiber-optic sensors, facilitating the application of fiber-based photoacoustic imaging.
    Wuxing LIUFU, Yizhi LIANG, Junjie CAO, Xiaoxuan ZHONG, Jinying LI, Wei HUANG, Long JIN. Radio-frequency heterodyne detection of fiber-optic ultrasonic sensor[J]. Optics and Precision Engineering, 2024, 32(17): 2708
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