J. Eur. Opt. Society-Rapid Publ. 22, 13( 2026) 129
Figure
1. Comparative validation of the forward model against experimental DAS data. Top row( a, b): Case A( Mestre Horácio), showing strong, coherent hyperbolic arrivals. Bottom row( c, d): Case B( Wilson Hirtshals), where the simulation accurately reconstructs the fainter interference lobules( Lloyd’ s Mirror effect), providing visual confirmation of the source depth estimation.
7 Conclusion
Figure 2. Stochastic convergence of the Differential Evolution algorithm( N = 10 runs). The solid lines represent the mean best loss( 1 � q) as a function of generation, and the shaded areas indicate ± 1 standard deviation. Case B( blue) converges to a significantly lower residual( 0.38) with high stability, while Case A( red) stabilizes at a higher noise floor( 0.84).
ground-truth data( Table 1). Figure 1 demonstrates the high fidelity of the model in reproducing the signal topology forbothtestcases( Fig. 2).
This work has successfully established a comprehensive physics-based framework for vessel tracking using Distributed Acoustic Sensing( DAS) combined with Differential Evolution optimization. We have demonstrated the ability to recover critical kinematic parameters( speed, trajectory, depth) and vessel dimensions from raw interferometric data, confirming the viability of repurposing existing single-mode submarine cables as massive, distributed hydrophone arrays. The proposed optimization scheme proved to be robust against varying levels of environmental noise, accurately resolving complex hyperbolic moveout features and interference patterns. Specifically, we achieved velocity estimation errors below 1 % in high-SNR conditions. Future work will focus on integrating these kinematic priors into deep learning architectures, aiming to develop fully automated, real-time maritime surveillance systems.
Funding
This work is supported by Component 5 – Capitalization and Business Innovation, integrated in the Resilience Dimension of the Recovery and Resilience Plan within the scope of the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism( MRR) of the European Union( EU),