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SMART Repeaters: Sensor-enabled Submarine Fiber Optic Repeaters for Multi-scale and Multi-use Monitoring and Observing

Innovative deep ocean monitoring technologies are crucial to catalyzing fundamental improvements in mitigating natural disasters, reducing human vulnerabilities and understanding environmental threats. An attractive but untapped resource is the global submarine fiber optic cable network, which carries over 95% of international internet traffic. Key components of undersea fiber optic cable systems are repeaters, which are placed every 60-100 km along the cable to provide optical signal amplification. Integrating environmental sensors, including seismic, pressure and temperature sensors, would enable real-time data collection for environmental and infrastructure threat reduction, natural disaster mitigation and cable system monitoring.

A unique technology that will revolutionize the utility of these cables is the SMART (Sensor Monitoring And Reliable Telecommunications) cable concept. Although the concept has been evaluated for over 10 years by an international suite of agencies and institutions, developing a SMART repeater requires substantial investment in research and development to validate a technology that could transform an industry. To date, no commercial manufacturer has allocated the resources to produce a prototype SMART repeater. To bridge this gap, we have obtained support by the National Science Foundation’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to develop a benchtop prototype SMART repeater.

Best-in-class SMART repeater sensors include a 3-axis accelerometer, absolute pressure gauge, and temperature sensor. Included with the sensors are data acquisition circuits with suitable dynamic range and precision, integration around a common communications module, an interface suitable for fiber optic cable spans up to 120 km in length, the software and firmware necessary to support the data path from the sensors to data storage servers, and precision timing for both time-stamps and frequency reference. The SMART repeater sensor system design is modular, thereby containing branch points for different sensors, as well as incorporation in different repeater housings or as standalone units.

Session: Frontiers in Marine Seismology

Type: Oral

Room: Regency E-G

Date: 4/22/2022

Presentation Time: 05:30 PM Pacific

Presenting Author: Matthew J. Fouch

Student Presenter: No

Additional Authors