# Rayleigh fading suppression in one-dimension optical scatters

## TL;DR

This paper investigates how to suppress Rayleigh fading in one-dimensional optical scattering systems using multiple independent probing channels, enhancing phase signal quality for applications like DR and optical imaging.

## Contribution

It introduces a theoretical and experimental method to eliminate fading by summing incoherent scattered light waves from multiple channels, improving phase retrieval.

## Key findings

- Fading causes severe noise in DR phase signals.
- Summation of multiple incoherent channels suppresses fading.
- Analytical and experimental results confirm improved signal-to-noise ratio.

## Abstract

Highly coherent wave is favorable for applications in which phase retrieval is necessary, yet a high coherent wave is prone to encounter Rayleigh fading phenomenon as it passes through a medium of random scatters. As an exemplary case, phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometry (\Phi-OTDR) utilizes coherent interference of backscattering light along a fiber to achieve ultra-sensitive acoustic sensing, but sensing locations with fading won't be functional. Apart from the sensing domain, fading is also ubiquitous in optical imaging and wireless telecommunication, therefore it is of great interest. In this paper, we theoretically describe and experimentally verify how the fading phenomena in one-dimension optical scatters will be suppressed with arbitrary number of independent probing channels. We initially theoretically explained why fading would cause severe noise in the demodulated phase of \Phi-OTDR; then M-degree summation of incoherent scattered light-waves is studied for the purpose of eliminating fading. Finally, the gain of the retrieved phase signal-to-noise-ratio and its fluctuations were analytically derived and experimentally verified. This work provides a guideline for fading elimination in one-dimension optical scatters, and it also provides insight for optical imaging and wireless telecommunication.