Geophysicists using fiber optic cables in homeland security applications

Helios system screen shot of two horses crossing the line

Helios system screen shot of two horses crossing the line

Researchers from Zonge Engineering in my own Tucson, Arizona along with researchers at the University of Arizona’s Mining and Geological Engineering Department (my alma mater) have completed a report on a fiber optic monitoring system that has wide-ranging applications in border security, prison perimeter protection, mine safety and other applications. The Helios system uses the principle of ‘optical backscattering’ to detect small acoustical vibrations, such as an illegal border crosser, or a trapped miner tapping on a wall. Because of the speed with which the lasers can travel in the fiber optic line, the system can be deployed in lengths up to 50-km, and can locate the source of a signal within 1-m. If there are source lasers at each end of the cable, they can even detect exactly where the cable is cut and it can continue functioning. [Source: UANews.org. Image: UANews.org]