OPTICAL FIBERS

1. Define V- number, angle of acceptance, numerical aperture, cone of acceptance, and

attenuation

Ans; V-number The number of modes that a fiber can support is identified by a constant called as V-
number. V =  D (NA)/  where D is the diameter of the core and  the wavelength of the light ray
entering the fiber

Angle of acceptance: Angle of acceptance is defined as the the maximum permissible angle of entry
of the ray of light into the optical fiber, such that light ray emerges along core -cladd junction. If the
angle of entry is less than θa then that ray will satisfy the condition for total internal reflection and
the ray will emerges out of the fiber.

Numerical aperture: Sine of the angle of acceptance gives the light gathering capacity of the fiber
and is called as Numerical aperture of the optical fiber.

Thus angle of entry i < θa

Sini < Sinθa

Sini < NA

Cone of acceptance: Similarly, if the incident ray at the mouth of the optical fiber is rotated by
keeping the interacting point with the fiber as fixed, it will defines a cone called as cone of
acceptance. Any light ray entering the optical fiber through this cone of acceptance will be funnelled
in such a way that, it satisfies the condition for total internal reflection and hence the ray emerges
out.

Attenuation: Attenuation is the loss in the signal intensity during its travel inside
the optical fiber. If PO is the emerging signal power from the optical fiber and P i the input
signal power, then PO<Pi. The magnitude of loss in signal intensity is measured by a
quantity called as Attenuation Coefficient (α). It is a function of length of the optical fiber,
such that for larger length of the fiber, higher will be the value of α. It is expressed in
dB/Km

2. Derive an expression for numerical aperture and acceptance angle

3. Derive an expression for numerical aperture in an optical fiber and obtain the
condition for light propagation.
Consider a ray of light entering the fiber from a medium of index µ0. Let it subtends an
angle θa with respect to axis of the fiber. After refraction in the core by an angle θ1, the ray
is made to incident at the point B in the core-cladd boundary. Let θ2 be the angle of
incidence at B.
Applying Snell’s law of refraction to the point A ,
 Equation 4 gives the condition for light propagation in optical fibers as follows

1. The ray of light should enter the fiber from rarer medium
2. Light Ray should enter the fiber with an angle less than θa the angle of
acceptance.
4. Obtain an expression for numerical aperture in the terms of refractive
indices of core and cladding.

5. Obtain an expression for numerical aperture in the terms of refractive

indices of core and cladding