Principles of Optical

Communications
Chapter 2: Light wave propagation

Pham Quang Thai – pqthai.hcmut@gmail.com

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 Content
• Basic parameters
• Fiber modes
• Mode characteristics

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 Optical fiber: guiding light using total
reflection

Charles Kuen Kao - the father of fi er opti

o u i atio s

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 Basic structure: core and cladding

• Basic parameters
– Numerical Aperture (NA)
– Fractional refractive-i dex ha ge Δ

NA  n12  n22
n12  n22 n1  n2
 2

2n1 n1
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Field distribution in
transverse plane

Johann Carl Michael André-Marie James

Friedrich Gauss Faraday Ampère Clerk
Maxwell

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 Calculating intensity field distribution

• Wave equations in optical fibers (cylindrical waveguide of

perfect dielectric)
 B H
  0   E     
  0  t t
 
  H  J  D   E
J  0  
B   H  t t
 D    0
D   E B  0

 H  2E  2E
 E     (E)   E    2   E   2
2 2

t t t

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Ez  Ez (r,  )e(  j ) z e jt   (r )e jl e j z e jt
 2E
 E   2
2

t

 2 Ez 1 Ez  2 l 2

    k    2  Ez  0
2

r 2
r r  r 
k = 2π/λ

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 2 1   2 l2   1 (r )  c1 J l (hr )  c2Yl (hr ), k 2   2  0
   k    2   0
2

r 2
r r  r   2 (r )  c3 I l (qr )  c4 Kl (qr ), k 2   2  0

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Core region (r<a) Cladding region (r>a)

Ez (r , t )  AJ l (hr )e j (t l  z ) Ez (r , t )  CKl (qr )e j (t l  z )

, k 2
  2
0 j (t l   z )
, k 2
  2
0
H z (r , t )  BJ l (hr )e j (t l   z )
H z (r , t )  DKl (qr )e

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 Fiber mode: wave oscillations inside the
side (lateral) of a cylinder
• All mode has the same ω: same wavelength
• Each mode has a different l: different number of
oscillations along the fiber
• Each mode transmits a fraction of the total power

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Find constants A, B, C and D using boundary conditions at r=a:
AJ l (ha)  CKl (qa)  0
 il      il    
A  2 J l (ha)   B   J 'l (ha )   C  2 K l (qa )   D   K 'l (qa )   0
h a   h  q a   q 
BJ l (ha)  DK l (qa)  0
  0 n12   il    0 n22   il 
A J 'l (ha)   B  2 J l (ha )   C  K 'l (qa )   D  2 K l (qa )   0
 h  h a   q  q a 

Solving the set of equations using determinant:

J l 1 (ha)  n12  n22  K 'l (qa)  1 
     R 
haJ l (ha)  2n1  qaKl (qa)  (ha) 2
2

J l 1 (ha)  n12  n22  K 'l (qa)  1 
  2   2
 R
haJ l (ha)  2n1  qaKl (qa)  (ha) 
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First determinant equation gives solution for TM and EH waves

l 0
J1 (ha) n22 K1 (qa) B  0  EZ  0
 2  
haJ 0 (ha) n1 qaK 0 (qa) D  0 H Z  0
l 0
J l 1 (ha)  n12  n22  K 'l (qa)  1   EZ , H Z  0
    R  
haJ l (ha)  2n12   EZ  H Z
2
 qaKl (qa)  ( ha)

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Second determinant equation gives solution for TE and HE waves

l 0
J1 (ha) K1 (qa)  A  0  EZ  0
  
haJ 0 (ha) qaK 0 (qa) C  0  H Z  0
l 0
J l 1 (ha)  n12  n22  K 'l (qa)  1   EZ , H Z  0
     R  
  H Z  EZ
2 2
haJ l (ha)  2n1  qaKl ( qa)  ( ha)

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 Fiber mode characteristics

• TE and TM modes exist

when l=0: meridional rays
• HE and EH modes exist
when l>0: skew rays
• More HE and EH modes
than TE and TM
• No TEM wave: no straight
ray

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• For each l:
– Several ha,
β=f(ha): several β
for each l
– Small β: gentle ray,
shorter path
– Large β: steep ray,
longer path
• Mode notation: TMlm,
TElm, EHlm, HElm

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• Left hand side asymptote: Jl(ha)=0
• Right hand side asymptote:
n1k0    n2 k0
 2  k a n 2
 n2  ha  0
2

 h k 
2 2 0 1

 K1 (qa)  2
 lim    
ha V
 qaK 0 ( qa )  (V 2
 h 2 2
a ) ln(V 2
 h 2 2
a )

V  k0 a n12  n22

• Number of modes depending on V

• For V<2.405, J0(2.405)=0, there is only HE11 mode
• HE11: fundamental mode, skew ray, smallest β, shortest travel
path, Gaussian intensity field distribution

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• Mode field diameter (MFD):

– Effective core diameter for HE11 mode

– Change with wavelength

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