-ADVANTAGES OF OPTICAL COMMUNICATION

Low transmission loss.

Wide bandwidth.
Small size and weight.
Immunity to interference

(EMI & EMP).

Electrical insulation (No

arcing, sparking, ground

loops, hazards).

Signal security (banking,

computer networks, military

systems).
Abundant raw material

 PROBLEMS
1-a) Using simple ray theory, describe the
mechanism for the transmission of light
within an optical fiber.
b) Briefly discuss with the aid of a suitable
diagram what is meant by the acceptance
angle for an optical fiber.
c) Show how this is related to the fiber
numerical aperture and the refractive
indices for the fiber core and cladding.
d) An optical fiber has a numerical aperture
of 0.20 and a cladding refractive index of
1.59. Determine:
(i) The acceptance angle for the fiber in
water which has a refractive index of 1.33;
(ii) The critical angle at the corecladding
interface.
Comment on any assumptions made about
the fiber.
Solution
A)if the incident light on the interface by
angle larger than Q then the light could be
still bounded in the core till its end, while if
Q< Q light will be lost in cladding
c

Q
b)if

which will result in

Q
<Q
which will cause unbounded ray so we
can say that
if > we'll have unbounded ray
mid-term revision ( c
d)using this rule NA= n n = sin
o

max

Qc

i-

62.8o

, ii-

max

sin 1

n2
n1

56.27o

2-The velocity of light in the core of a step

index fiber is 2.01 10 m s1, and the
critical angle at the corecladding interface
is 80. Determine the numerical aperture
and the acceptance angle for the fiber in
8

air, assuming it has a core diameter suitable

for consideration by ray analysis. The
velocity of light in a vacuum is 2.998 10
m s1.
Solution
Using the rules NA= n n = sin
8

Qc

V=

max

sin 1

n2
n1

c
n1

Then NA=.238

=13.787 degree.
max

3-a) Define the relative refractive index

difference for an optical fiber.
b) Show how it may be related to the
numerical aperture.
c) A step index fiber with a large core
diameter compared with the wavelength of
the transmitted light has an acceptance
angle in air of 22 and a relative refractive
index difference of 3%. Estimate the
numerical aperture and the critical angle at
the corecladding interface for the fiber.
Solution

a,b)so easy
c) = 22 then NA=
max

But

n1n2=.03

then

sin 1 omax

=.3746= n

2
1

n22

n1=n2+ .03

= Q
c

n1
n1
sin 1

n
2

n2
n1

Qc =80.84 o

n n
=relative refractive index difference -1
fractional refractive index difference =-2
1

n1n2
n1

5-Describe with the aid of simple ray

diagrams:
(a) the multimode step index fiber;
(b) the single-mode step index fiber.
Compare the advantages and
disadvantages of these two types of fiber
for use as an optical channel
Solution