Experiment 1

Aim

To find the numerical aperture of a given optic fiber and hence to find its
acceptance angle.

Apparatus Required

Fiber stand , fiber, concentrator, output unit, detector, emitter.

Theory

Optical fibers are fine transparent glass or plastic fibers which can propagate light.
They work under the principle of total internal reflection from diametrically opposite walls.
In this way light can be taken anywhere because fibers have enough flexibility.

Fig: n1 and n2 are refractive indices of core and cladding.

Structure-

An optic fiber consists of a core that is surrounded by a cladding which is normally

made of silica glass or plastic. The core transmits an optical signal while the cladding
guides the light within the core.
Propagation in optical fiber-
Optical Fiber communication elements operate in the micrometer
wavelength zone of the frequency spectrum (frequencies between 1014 Hz to 1015 Hz).

When a light ray encounters the interface of a medium, the light ray is refracted and its
direction of propagation changes according to Snell's law of refraction. For angles of incidence
greater than the critical angle, the rays are TOTALLY REFLECTED.

Optical fibres are cylindrical waveguides made of two concentric layers of very pure glass.
The core (the interior layer) with refractive index n1 serves as the medium for light
propagation, while the cladding (the exterior layer) has a lower refractive
index n2 where n1 >n2 assuring that light rays are reflected back to the core. Based on the
principle of total internal reflection, only rays with incident angles greater than the critical
angle, at the CLADDING-CORE interface, can be transmitted.
Experiment Set-up

Observation Table-

SL No. Screw gauge reading Distance I µA

(X) mm
H.S.R P.S.R
Calculations:-

Distance between the fiber and the detector, d = …………………………… m

Radius of the spot, r =……………………….. m
Numerical Aperture of the optic fiber,
Sin (θ) =

Acceptance angle,
θ=

Result:-

Numerical aperture of the optic fiber is = …………………

Angle of acceptance = ……………….

Self Assessment:-

Q1. What is the condition for total internal reflection in optical fiber?
Answer: - Total internal reflection occurs only when the angle of incidence is greater than
critical angle.

Q2. State Snell’s Law?

Answer: - This relationship between the angles of incidence and refraction and the indices
of refraction of the two media is known as Snell's Law. It is defined as “The ratio of the
sine of the angle of incidence to the sine of the angle of refraction is a constant, for the
light of a given colour and for the given pair of media”.

Snell’s law formula is expressed as:

i = Angle of incidence
r = Angle of reflection

By:- Ajinkya Pindawala EN17EL301007