Optics

Question 1

What gets enhanced with the use of fiber optics?

Answer 1

~ information bandwidth (vol of info per unit time), speed, and transmission distance are significantly enhanced

Question 2

What are the quality of fiberoptics?

Answer 2

~ immune to electromagnetic interference

Question 3

How do optical fibers work?

Answer 3

~an electrical signal is converted into light by a LIGHT EMITTING DIODE or LASER DIODE and is recieved by an optical dtector which converts it back to an electrical signal

Question 4

How is signal propogation made possible?

Answer 4

~ by total internal relfection

~ the core glass has a higher reflective index than the cladding glass (only slight differences are required)

Question 5

What are modes?

Answer 5

~solutions to the four maxwell equations that describe different spatial distributions of light

~ these distributions/patterns are modes

Question 6

What effects the # of modes?

Answer 6

~ # of modes increases with core diameter

~ inversely proportional to the square of the signal wavelength

Question 7

What is the cutoff wavelength?

Answer 7

~ that beyond which only one mode, the fundamental mode, can propogate

Question 8

Where must single mode systems be operated?

Answer 8

~ above the cutoff wavelength