LIGHT PROPAGATION

CHAPTER 3
OPTICAL FIBER COMMUNICATION SYSTEM
OPTICAL FIBER

(From light source to light detector)

2
NUMERICAL APERTURE (NA)

3
OPTICAL FIBER

Acceptance angle

The acceptance angle when launching light into an optical fiber

4
STEP INDEX OPTICAL FIBER

maks
Numerical Aperture (NA) n1

n2

2 2
NA = sin maks = n1  n2  n1 2

n12  n22 n1  n2
∆ : core-cladding index difference  2

2n1 n1
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STEP INDEX OPTICAL FIBER

Single mode Step Index

125m
a Core 8-12m
Cladding
n2 n1

Density profile

a = core radius

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STEP INDEX OPTICAL FIBER

Multi mode Step Index

125-400m
a
Core 50-200m
Cladding
n2 n1
Density profile

a = core radius

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STEP INDEX OPTICAL FIBER

Multi mode Step Index

Higher-order mode Lower-order mode

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STEP INDEX OPTICAL FIBER
Multi mode Step Index

V (Normalized frequency) is a parameter to determine the number of light modes that

propagate in optical fiber.

V 2a
 n12  n22  2a
 NA

Normalized propagation constant b :

2 2
( 𝛽/𝑘) −𝑛
β : mode propagation constant
k is free space propagation constant
2
𝑏= 2 2
Mode cut off if β/k = n2

𝑛 −𝑛
1 2 9
STEP INDEX OPTICAL FIBER
Multi mode Step Index

Single mode operation is possible (Single mode fiber) when:

V ≤ 2.405 or V cut off : VC = 2.405

2a 2 2an1
Cut off wavelength: C  n1  n2 
2
2
VC VC

Only HE11 can propagate faithfully along optical fiber

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STEP INDEX OPTICAL FIBER

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STEP INDEX OPTICAL FIBER
PLOTS OF THE PROPAGATION CONSTANT AS A FUNCTION OF
NORMALIZED FREQUENCY FOR A FEW OF THE LOWEST-ORDER MODES

TE: Transverse Electric

TM: Transverse Magnetic
HE: Hybrid mode for E field
EH: Hybrid mode for H field

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STEP INDEX OPTICAL FIBER

FIBER MODES

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STEP INDEX OPTICAL FIBER

MULTI MODES

Solid acceptance angle from fiber :

     n  n
2
 2
1
2
2  [Sterad]

Total number of modes, M, supported by a multi-mode fiber is

approximately (When V is large) given by:

2 2 a 2
 
2
2A V
M  n12  n22 
 2

2
2

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STEP INDEX OPTICAL FIBER

Power distribution in the core & the cladding: Another quantity of interest is the
ratio of the mode power in the cladding, to the total optical power in the fiber, P,
which at the wavelengths (or frequencies) far from the cut-off is given by:

Pclad Pcore
 1
P P
1
 clad 
P 4 
  M 2
 P  3
Example :
Step index optical fiber a = 10 μm, n1 = 1.48; ∆ = 0.001; λ = 1.3 μm;
Find V, Ω, M, Pclad/P; λc;
If ∆ = 0.03, find M and Pclad/P;

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STEP INDEX OPTICAL FIBER
CLADDING POWER VS NORMALIZED FREQUENCY (V)

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STEP INDEX OPTICAL FIBER
Fundamental Mode Field Distribution

An important / basic parameter of single mode optical fiber is Field Diameter

Mode (MFD). The MFD is determined from the mode-field distribution of the
fundamental LP01 mode. In SM fiber, not all the light that propagates through
the fiber is carried in the core.
 r2 
 2 
W 
r : radius
E ( r )  Eo e  o 

EO : field at r =0
WO : the width of the electric filed distribution

Wo  a(0.65  1.619V 3 / 2  2.879V 6 )

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STEP INDEX OPTICAL FIBER

Distribution of light in a single mode

fiber above its cutoff wavelength. For
Gaussian distribution, the MFD is given
by the 1/e2 width of the optical power.

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STEP INDEX OPTICAL FIBER
• Because of asymmetries the refractive indices for the
Birefringence two degenerate modes (vertical & horizontal
polarizations) are different. This difference is referred
• This occurs in certain types of materials that to as birefringence, B f :
have different n depending on the
polarization of light.
• In optical fiber, this happens due to the
B f  n y  nx
asymmetry in the fiber core and due to
external stresses
• Polarization Maintaining (PM) Fiber
intentionally creates consistent birefringence
pattern along its length

Optical Fiber communications, 3 rd ed.,G.Keiser,McGrawHill, 2000

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 GRADED INDEX OPTICAL FIBER
r

125-
a Core 50-100m140m
Cladding
n2 n1

Density profile

r 
n1 1 2    ;......... ....... 0 r  a
r = radial distance from the n( r )   n1
a
1 2   n1 (1  )  n2 ;....... r  a
fiber axis
a = core radius n12  n22 n1  n2
α = the shape of index profile
 2

2n1 n1
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GRADED INDEX OPTICAL FIBER

√ []
𝛼
𝑟
𝑁𝐴(0) 1− ;.. . . . . . . .0 ≤𝑟 ≤𝑎
𝑎
𝑁𝐴(𝑟)={ 0;….……….. . . 𝑟 ≥𝑎
Comparison of numerical aperture for fiber having various α profile.

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GRADED INDEX OPTICAL FIBER
2
   2an1 
Number of bound M a k n 2 2

2
 
 2  2  
1
modes:
𝑘=2 𝜋 / 𝜆 k is free space propagation constant

For V with big number  number of Modes M = V2/4

Or half of number of mode for Step Index optical fiber
2
V cut off : VC  2,405 1 

Cut off wavelength: 2a 2 2an1
C  n1  n2 
2
2
For α = 2 : VC VC
VC = 3.401 or √2 times bigger than Step Index Optical Fiber.
λC value is 1/(√2) shorter than Step Index Optical Fiber 22
GRADED INDEX OPTICAL FIBER
Example :
Graded index fiber , α = 2, a = 10 μm, n1 = 1.48; ∆ = 0.001; λ = 1.3 μm;
Find n(r); NA(r); Vc; M; λc;

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GRADED INDEX OPTICAL FIBER
Example :
Graded index fiber , α = 2, a = 10 μm, n1 = 1.48; ∆ = 0.001; λ = 1.3 μm;
Find n(r); NA(r); Vc; M; λc;

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FIBER KEY PARAMETERS

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FIBER KEY PARAMETERS

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THANK YOU