Lecture 4

Light Propagation in Optical Fiber

• Light Propagation Mechanism
• Types of Optical Fibers
• Attenuation and Dispersion

• Light Propagation Mechanism

Fiber Optic Communications Technology by D. K. Mynbaev &

Lowell L. Scheiner - Pearson Education.
• At the end of this lecture students should be able to:

– Understand and apply the knowledge of light propagation

mechanisms in an optical fiber.
– Explain basic characteristics of fiber optics.
 Transmission Medium (Optical Fiber)
• Optical fiber is replacing copper (low loss <= 0.2dB/km)
• Light is used as the fastest and transparent carrier of information
• Much higher data rate (less affected by electromagnetic
interference)
• What is Optical Fiber?
– Thin strands of pure glass
– Carry data over long distances
– At very high speeds (by managing the
dispersion)
– Fiber can be bent or twisted (With bend insensitive
Fiber design)
What is Optical Waveguide?
• “An optical waveguide is a physical structure that guides electromagnetic
waves in optical spectrum” i.e., in micrometre wavelength zone of the
frequency spectrum (frequency between 1014Hz to 1015Hz).

• Optical waveguides are used as components in integrated optical circuits

or as the transmission medium in local and long haul optical
communication systems.

• An optical fiber is a thin, transparent, flexible strand that consists of a core

surrounded by a cladding.

– What is the need of core and cladding?

Light Propagation
Quantum Nature of Light
Basic Optical Laws and Definitions
Fig. Basic structure and light propagation in side a step-index fiber
Total Internal Reflection: Critical Propagation
angle and Critical Incident angle
Acceptance angle (θa)

Fig. Lunching light into the fiber

Numerical Aperture (NA)
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bhagyalaxmibehera@soa.ac.in