Photonic sensors for Very Large Volume neutrino Telescopes

Since the advent of the optical fiber and the explosive development of photonic technology for telecommunications, much research has also been devoted to the development of fiber-based sensors. Today, many types of sensors and sensing principles are available for measuring a great variety of physical and chemical parameters. This paper reviews the application of photonic- and fiber-based sensors for monitoring the operational condition and structural health of a Very Large Volume neutrino Telescope (VLVnT) and its environment. Also, options for distributed sensing of marine-related parameters and geophysical phenomena in the periphery of the telescope are presented. Finally, the use of passive photonic sensors in a widely distributed network for detection of acoustic signals is described.