Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS)

Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) uses a standard optical fiber as a continuous array of vibration sensors by firing laser pulses down the fiber and measuring Rayleigh backscatter; strain from sound or movement shifts the backscatter phase, so a single interrogator resolves acoustic events every few meters over tens of kilometers. In the marine domain DAS monitors subsea power and telecom cables for anchor drag, trawl contact, and faults, and supports leak detection on pipelines and perimeter security. Because the existing fiber is the sensor, no discrete transducers are deployed along the route.