R4ET4002S

Optical Communication and Networks

B.Tech. Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering
Semester-VII
Dr. Meenakshi Bhaisare

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 Optical fibers
• Key part of a lightwave communication system.
• An optical fiber is normally cylindrical dielectric waveguide that confines and guides light
waves along its axis.
• Except for certain specialty fibers, all are used for telecommunication purpose have the
same physical structure.
• The variations in the material and size of this structure dictate how a light signal is
transmitted along different types of fiber.

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 Optical fiber modes
• A finite set of rays at certain discrete angles greater than or equal to the critical angle фc is
capable of propagating along a fiber.
• These angles are related to a set of electromagnetic wave patterns or field distributions
called modes.
• When the fiber core diameter is 8-10 µm, i.e. ~ wavelength, single fundamental ray travel
straight along the axis (single-mode fiber).
• Fibers with larger code diameters (≥ 50 µm) support many propagating rays or modes
(multi-mode fibers).

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• Modes of fiber
transmission.

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• Electric field patterns of the three lowest-order guided modes as seen in cross-sectional
view of an optical fiber.
• TE0, TE1 and TE2 represents the transverse electric with subscript is equal to number of zero-
crossings with the guide.

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 Variations of fiber types
• Step-index fiber: The refractive index of the core is uniform throughout and undergoes an
abrupt change (or step) at the cladding boundary.
• Graded-index fiber: The code refractive index varies as a function of radial distance from the
center of the fiber.

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 Electromagnetic waves
• The basis for the study of EMW propagation is provided by Maxwell’s equations.
• For medium with zero conductivity, the vector relationships may be written in terms of
electric field E, magnetic field H, electric flux density D and magnetic flux density B as curl
equations, is vector operator.
….(1)

….(2)
• And the divergence conditions:

….(3,4)

• The four field vectors are related by the relations:

….(5.6)
Where ε is the dielectric permittivity and µ is the magnetic permeability of the medium
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• Substituting for D and B and taking the curl of 1 and 2 gives:

…….(7.8)

Using the divergence conditions of 3 and 4 with the vector identity:

• We obtain the nondispersive wave equations:

and …………(9,10)
Where 2 is the Laplacian operator. For rectangular Cartesian and cylindrical polar
coordinates the above wave equations hold for each component of the field vector, every
component satisfying the scalar wave equation:
…………(11)

Where ψ may represent a component of E or H field and vp is the phase velocity in dielectric
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• The vp phase velocity is given as :

…………(11)
Here εr and µr represents the relative permeability and permittivity for the dielectric
medium and ε0 and µ0 are the permeability and permittivity of free space. The velocity of
light in free space c is :
…………(12)

• If planar waveguides described by rectangular Cartesian coordinates (x,y,z) or circular

fibers, described by cylindrical polar coordinates (r,ф,z), then the Laplacian operator takes
the form:

or …………(13,14)

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• The basic solution of the wave equation is a sinusoidal wave, the most important form of
which is a uniform plane wave given by:
…………(15)

where ω is the angular frequency of the field, t is the time, k is the propagation vector,
which gives the direction of propagation and the rate of change of phase with distance,
while the components of r specify the coordinate point at which the field is observed.
When λ is the optical wavelength in vacuum, the magnitude of the propagation vector or
vacuum phase propagation constant k= IkI is given by:
…………(16)

Here k is the free space wave number.

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 Modes in planar guides

The formation of modes in planar dielectric guide: (a) a plane wave propagating in the guide
• The optical wavelength is reduced by λ/n1 and vacuum propagation constant is increased by
n1k.
• When θ is the angle between the wave propagation vector or the equivalent ray and the
guide axis, the plane wave can be resolved into two component plane waves propagating in
the z and x directions,
and …………(17, 18)
where β are the component of phase propagation constant in z and x directions.

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• The component in x direction is reflected at the interface between the higher and low
refractive media.

The interference of plane waves in the guide forming the lowest order mode (m=0).
• After total phase change (i.e. after two successive reflections at upper and lower
interfaces P and Q) is equal to 2mπ.
• With m=0, the electric field maximum at the center of the guide decaying towards zero at
the boundary between the guide and cladding.
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