Optical system and method for gas detection and monitoring
First Claim
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1. A system for detecting and monitoring the presence of a gas, comprising:
- a source generating a light beam;
an optical interferometer defining a free-space optical path disposed in an environment of interest;
an optical detector;
a single-mode optical fiber coupled between said source and said optical interferometer, wherein said light beam incident on said optical interferometer is guided to said optical path and traverses therealong to an end of said optical path, wherein said light beam guided to said optical path is combined with said light beam at said end of said optical path to define an output light;
said optical detector optically coupled to said optical interferometer wherein said output light is guided to said optical detector; and
means coupled to said optical detector for recording a temporal history of said output light.
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Abstract
A free-space optical path of an optical interferometer is disposed in an environment of interest. A light beam is guided to the optical interferometer using a single-mode optical fiber. The light beam traverses the interferometer'"'"'s optical path. The light beam guided to the optical path is combined with the light beam at the end of the optical path to define an output light. A temporal history of the output light is recorded.
19 Citations
28 Claims
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1. A system for detecting and monitoring the presence of a gas, comprising:
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a source generating a light beam; an optical interferometer defining a free-space optical path disposed in an environment of interest; an optical detector; a single-mode optical fiber coupled between said source and said optical interferometer, wherein said light beam incident on said optical interferometer is guided to said optical path and traverses therealong to an end of said optical path, wherein said light beam guided to said optical path is combined with said light beam at said end of said optical path to define an output light; said optical detector optically coupled to said optical interferometer wherein said output light is guided to said optical detector; and means coupled to said optical detector for recording a temporal history of said output light. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of detecting and monitoring the presence of a gas, comprising the steps of:
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generating a light beam; disposing a free-space optical path of an optical interferometer in an environment of interest; guiding said light beam to the optical interferometer using a single-mode optical fiber wherein said light beam traverses along said optical path to an end thereof; combining said light beam guided to said optical path with said light beam at said end of said optical path to define an output light; guiding said output light to an optical detector; and recording a temporal history of said output light. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A system for detecting and monitoring the presence of a gas, comprising:
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a laser source generating laser light; a plurality of optical interferometers distributed in an environment of interest, each of said optical interferometers defining a free-space optical path disposed in a region of the environment of interest; a corresponding plurality of optical detectors; first means coupled between said laser source and each of said optical interferometers wherein, for each of said optical interferometers, said laser light is guided to said optical path associated therewith by said first means and traverses therealong to an end of said optical path associated therewith, and wherein each of said optical interferometers combines said laser light guided to said optical path associated therewith said laser light at said end of said optical path associated therewith to define an output light associated therewith; second means coupled between each of said optical interferometers and a corresponding one of said optical detectors, wherein each said output light is guided by said second means to said corresponding one of said optical detectors; and means coupled to each of said optical detectors for recording a temporal history of each said output light. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method of detecting and monitoring the presence of a gas, comprising the steps of:
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generating laser light; distributing a plurality of optical interferometers in an environment of interest, each of said optical interferometers defining a free-space optical path in a region of the environment of interest; guiding said laser light to each of the optical interferometers using a first single-mode optical fiber wherein, for each of the optical interferometers, said laser light traverses along said optical path associated therewith to an end thereof, and wherein each of the optical interferometers combines said laser light guided to said optical path associated therewith said laser light at said end of said optical path associated therewith to define an output light associated therewith; guiding each said output light to an optical detector using a second single-mode optical fiber; and recording a temporal history of each said output light. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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Specification