About the project
This project investigates the fundamental physics of distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) using optical fibres. DAS is an exciting technology enabling large-scale acoustic monitoring. Although it is commercially available, numerous fundamental aspects of how it works remain to be explained. This research will lay the groundwork for physics-based analysis of various DAS configurations and evaluate the performance of array signal processing algorithms applied to DAS signals from complex environments.
DAS is a relatively recent technology that enables continuous acquisition over kilometres of optical fibre from a single location. This setup provides an abundance of data containing signals from various sources, such as people, vehicles, machinery, and transportation. The most common practice in exploiting that data is listening for sound sources (looking for ‘hot spots’) or black-box machine learning. However, grounding these methods in a thorough understanding of wave physics can unlock their full potential.
This project aspires to advance distributed acoustic sensing, especially in complex multi-source environments. Its key contributions will include:
- a rigorous determination of the strengths and limitations of different fibre configurations, that is, the effect of cable design, conduits, installation, and proximity to infrastructure.
- developing imaging workflows for multiple source identification in complex environments
- merging different modalities of optical fibre sensing to increase reliability.
The student will develop analytical and numerical models for wave propagation in the soil-cable systems and cables themselves to capture the fundamental physics. Later in the project, they will be extended to include additional complexities, such as infrastructure, tunnels, foundations, etc. Complemented by experimental measurements and their analysis, they will establish firm foundations for enhancing the interpretation of DAS data or potentially inform machine learning processing algorithms.
The School of Engineering is committed to promoting equality, diversity inclusivity as demonstrated by our Athena SWAN award. We welcome all applicants regardless of their gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or age, and will give full consideration to applicants seeking flexible working patterns and those who have taken a career break. The University has a generous maternity policy, onsite childcare facilities, and offers a range of benefits to help ensure employees’ well-being and work-life balance. The University of Southampton is committed to sustainability and has been awarded the Platinum EcoAward.
