Fiber Optics Flashcards
Core
Portion of fiber strand that carries transmitted light
Cladding
Material surrounding core of a fiber optic cable
Numerical Aperture
Specification by manufacturer indicating fiber’s ability to accept light
Light waves just below frequencies in visible spectrum?
Infrared
Attenuation
Loss of power introduced by the fiber
Expressed as decibels per kilometer (dB/km)
Scattering
Accounts for 96% of loss
Caused by refractive index fluctuations
Absorption
Conversion of optical power to heat
Macrobending
Light breaking up and escaping into the cladding
Microbending
Caused by mechanical stress on fiber strand
Dispersion
Pulse Broadening
Distance-limiting parameter in fiber-optic transmissions
Modal Dispersion
Broadening of pulse due to different path lengths taken through the fiber by different modes
Mostly in multimode fiber
Chromatic Dispersion
Broadening of pulse due to different propagation velocities of the spectral components of light pulse
Present in single and multimode fiber
Polarization Mode Dispersion
Broadening of pulse due to different propagation velocities of the x and Y polarization components of the light pulse
Single-mode
DL
Diode Laser
Preferred source for moderate to wideband systems
Fast response time
LED
Light-emitting diode
Cheaper, less complex driving circuitry