Study of local properties of fibre Bragg gratings by the method of optical space-domain reflectometry

The method of optical space-domain reflectometry for measuring local spatial characteristics of fibre Bragg gratings (FBGs) is described in detail. It is demonstrated experimentally that, by using IR and UV radiation sources, this method provides good sensitivity ({approx}10{sup -4}) of measuring the modulation amplitude of the induced refractive index in the core of an optical fibre and a high spatial resolution ({approx}100 {mu}m and better). The factors affecting the accuracy of measurements as well as technical and methodological limitations of the method are considered. A comparative analysis of modern methods for studying the spatial properties of FBGs is performed and applications of these methods are considered. (special issue devoted to the memory of academician a m prokhorov)