October 2013
Intermediate to advanced
400 pages
10h 16m
English
In order to understand some of the more complex components used in modern, high-performance, fiber optic transmission systems, one should understand the nature of light. Light properties, not obvious in our daily lives, prove vital to the success of many modern fiber optic components. Light travels as an oscillating wave of electric and magnetic fields. (It can also act like a particle, but that is not pertinent to this discussion.) Two phenomena affect the behavior of light: interference and polarization.
Many fiber optic components use interference including fiber Bragg gratings, optical filters built directly into the fiber; lithium niobate modulators, used ...