Silixa iDAS-MG

4 gauge lengths in a single unit (3/5/10/30 m) — software-selectable.
Noise from 1 pε/√Hz — up to 100× lower with a long gauge length.
Range up to 50 km on SM and MM fibers, including existing infrastructure.
GPS/PTP synchronization (40 ns), TDMS/PRODML export, 4 TB SSD array.

Silixa iDAS-MG™

Distributed acoustic sensor (DAS) with a software-selectable gauge length (multi-gauge)

Why choose the iDAS-MG™ system?

The iDAS-MG™ combines the proven interferometric architecture of the iDAS™ system with unique configuration flexibility. Four gauge lengths in a single unit let you match the measurement parameters to a specific application — with no hardware swap and no compromise in measurement stability:

Four gauge lengths in one interrogator: 3, 5, 10 or 30 m — software-selectable from an intuitive configuration wizard. A short gauge = precise short-range measurements, a long gauge = maximum range and lowest noise.
Best-in-class noise level: at a 30 m gauge the noise level is 20–100× lower than at a 3 m gauge — down to 1 pε/√Hz at 1 kHz.
Range up to 50 km: monitoring of seismic activity on fibers tens of kilometers long, including existing telecom infrastructure.
Single-mode and multimode fibers: identical performance on SM and MM fibers — full freedom to reuse existing cables.
Integration-ready: continuous or triggered mode, GPS/PTP time synchronization accurate to 40 ns to UTC, master/slave operation, raw data export in TDMS and PRODML (HDF5) formats.

Technical specifications:

Parameter	3 m gauge	5 m gauge	10 m gauge	30 m gauge
Measurement range	30 km	35 km	45 km	50 km
Noise spectral density @ 1 kHz	10 pε/√Hz	5 pε/√Hz	2 pε/√Hz	1 pε/√Hz

Dynamic range: 100 dB (at 10 Hz).
Spatial sampling interval: from 25 cm to 32 m (up to 40,000 measurement channels).
Sampling frequency: 25 Hz – 100 kHz; acoustic bandwidth from <0.001 Hz to 50 kHz.
Data recording: built-in 4 TB SSD RAID module, transfer to the array via 2× 10 GbE SFP+ and 2× PCIe x4.
Housing: compact 19″ rack unit, 24 kg, power consumption of only 215 W.

Main applications:

Borehole and surface seismics: VSP imaging in oil & gas, geothermal and CO₂ sequestration (CCS) projects, as well as near-surface layer surveys.
Infrastructure monitoring: active and passive seismic measurements for engineering structures, with fine spatial resolution in the near zone.
Large-N seismic arrays: thousands of measurement channels on existing optical fibers — without building a geophone network.
Flow measurements: precise flow quantification with short gauge lengths (3/5 m).

Frequently asked questions (FAQ):

How does the iDAS-MG™ differ from the standard iDAS™?
The iDAS-MG™ contains several optical processors in a single housing and lets you software-select the gauge length (3/5/10/30 m). The standard iDAS™ operates with a single, fixed gauge — the iDAS-MG™ covers both precise short-range measurements and monitoring over a 50 km distance with a single unit.

What does a longer gauge length provide in practice?
A longer gauge allows the use of a longer laser pulse — more light enters the fiber, which lowers the noise level and extends the range, at the cost of spatial resolution. The iDAS-MG™ lets you tune this trade-off to a specific measurement task.

Can the system operate on existing telecom cables?
Yes. The iDAS-MG™ works on standard single-mode and multimode fibers, so dark fibers in existing cables can be used for monitoring — without additional field infrastructure.