Optics and

Optical Communication
SHECAT

AMANUEL ADMASSU, MTU-ECE

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ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM

Visible Light

Increasing Wavelength
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THE VISIBLE SPECTRUM

400nm 500nm 600nm 700nm

Wavelength means COLOR

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GENERAL SUBDIVISION

INFRARED - Band of Light wavelengths that are too long

to be seen by the human eye. (770 nm – 100,000 nm)
Uses: Cooking, Medicine, T.V. remote controls

VISIBLE LIGHT - Band of light wavelengths to which

the human eye respond. (390 nm – 770 nm)

ULTRAVIOLET - Band of light wavelengths that are too

short to be seen by the human eye. (10 nm – 390 nm)
Uses: food processing & hospitals to kill germs’ cells
Helps your body use vitamin D
Visible Light Wavelengths SHECAT

Color Wavelength Representative

Band (µm) wavelength (µm)
Extreme 0.39 - 0.41 0.40
violet
Violet 0.39 - 0.45 0.43
Dark blue 0.45 - 0.48 0.47
Light blue 0.48 - 0.50 0.49
Green 0.50 - 0.55 0.53
Yellow-green 0.55 - 0.57 0.56
Yellow 0.57 - 0.58 0.58
Orange 0.58 - 0.62 0.60
Red 0.62 - 0.70 0.64
Deep red 0.70 - 0.76 0.72
 Visible Light Wavelengths SHECAT

OTHER SOURCES:

WAVELENGTH WAVELENGTH
LIGHT COLOR LIGHT COLOR
(nanometer - nm) (nanometer - nm)

• RED 622 – 770 ( 650) • GREEN 492 – 577 (510)

• ORANGE 597 – 622 (590) • BLUE 455 – 492 (475)

• YELLOW 577 – 597 (570) • VIOLET 390 – 455 (400)

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
MICRON, NANOMETER, AND SHECAT

ANGTROM
Unit Value Multiply by To obtain

103 m nanometer
Micron (μm) 10-6 m
104 m Angstrom

10-3 m micron
Nanometer (nm) 10-9 m
10 m Angstrom

10-4 m Micron
Angstrom (Å) 10-10 m
10-1 m nanometer
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
MICRON, NANOMETER, AND SHECAT

ANGTROM
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
MICRON, NANOMETER, AND SHECAT

ANGTROM
Examples:
1. 20 Angstorm is equal to how
many microns?
2.  convert 15 A to µ:
15 A = 15 × 0.0001 µ = 0.0015
µ
3. convert 15 nm to µ:
15 nm = 15 × 0.001 µ = 0.015 µ
4. 0.01micron is equal to how many nanometers?
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PROPERT ES OF L GHT
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SPEED OF LIGHT

 Modern Value:

c = 299,792.458 km/sec
approximately 3 x 108 m/s

 Adopted in the year 1983

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WAVELENGTH

The wavelength of a monochromatic wave is

the distance between two consecutive wave
peaks.
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FREQUENCY

Number of complete events occurring in a period of time

 Waves/second
Examples
 Second hand on a clock?
 1 cycle/minute = 1/60 cycle/sec
 US Presidential Electons
 1 election/4 years = 1/4 election/year
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AMPLITUDE

The amplitude of an electromagnetic wave corresponds to the maximum strength of

the electric and magnetic fields and the number of photons in the light
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SPEED, WAVELENGTH, FREQUENCY

c=f
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DUAL NATURE OF LIGHT

Particle?
 Newton
Wave?
 Christian Huygens in Newton’s day
 Thomas Young (1801)
 Light can diffract - must be a wave
 Transverse wave
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DUAL NATURE OF LIGHT

• Light energy can behave like a wave as it

moves through space.

• Light energy can behave a discrete particle with a

discrete amount of energy (quantum) that can
be absorbed and emitted.
TYPES OF WAVES SHECAT

Transverse

and

• Longitudinal
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Particle-like Nature of Light:

The particle-like nature of light is
modeled with photons. A photon has no
mass and no charge. It is a carrier of
electromagnetic energy and interacts with
other discrete particles (e.g., electrons,
atoms, and molecules).
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Particle-like Nature of Light:

A beam of light is modeled as a

stream of photons, each carrying a well-
defined energy that is dependent upon the
wavelength of the light.
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Particle-like Nature of Light:

LIGHT IS PACKETS OF ENERGY CALLED PHOTONS
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Particle-like Nature of Light:

Energy of a Single Photon in Joules (J)

E(J) = hf
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Particle-like Nature of Light:

Energy of a Single Photon in (eV)

E(eV) = 1.241 / λ
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Particle-like Nature of Light:

1 eV = 0.00000000000000000016 J

Where: E(j) = energy in Joules

E(eV) = energy in electron-Volt

C = speed of light

λ = wavelength of the light in µm

h = Planck’s constant = 6.625x10-34 J.s

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Particle-like Nature of Light:

Example:
1. Photons in a pale blue light have a
wavelength of 500 nm. What is the energy of
this photon?

2. Find the number of photons incident on a

detector in 1 second if the optic power is 1µW
and the wavelength is 0.8 µm.
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Particle-like Nature of Light:

Example:
2. Find the number of photons incident on a
detector in 1 second if the optic power is 1µW
and the wavelength is 0.8 µm.
 WHY THE PHOTON IS NECESSARY
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Electron transitions in the Bohr model of

the atom and the subsequent emission of
light provides an example of when light
should be viewed as a photon. There are
two further pieces of evidence of this
particle-like nature of light:

• photon scattering
• photoelectric effect
SCATTERING SHECAT

One experiment which provides conclusive proof of

a particle nature of objects is to scatter two objects
off of each other, as in the collision of two billiard
balls. This experiment with light and small atoms
has been done, and is called Compton scattering.
SCATTERING SHECAT

Measurements show that the frequency of

the scattered wave is changed, which does
not come out of a wave picture of light.
However, when the light is viewed as a
photon with energy proportional to the
associated light wave, excellent agreement
with experiment is found.
 PHOTOELECTRIC EFFECT SHECAT

Another compelling proof for the photon nature of

light is the photoelectric effect. In this effect, light is
shone at a metal plate and it is found that electrons
are ejected. These electrons then get accelerated to
a nearby plate by an external potential difference,
and a photoelectric current is established.

This effect, which arises in devices such as automatic

door openers, burglar alarms, light detectors, and
photocopiers, cannot be explained using a wave picture
of light.
 EINSTEIN’S PHOTOELECTRIC EFFECT
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• Only light with a frequency greater than

a certain threshold will produce a
current

• Current begins almost instantaneously,

even for light of very low intensity

• Current is proportional to the frequency

of the incident light
PHOTOELECTRIC EFFECT
Blue light kicks SHECAT

out electrons

Red light is “inert” to kicking

out electrons
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ENERGY OF THE RELEASED ELECTRONS

E(e-) = (hc / X) - p

Where: E(e-) = the kinetic energy for the

metal

(hc / X) = the energy of the photon of

wavelength X

p = characteristic escape energy for the metal

EXAMPLE:
SHECAT

Calculate the threshold wavelength of light

needed to just release electrons from gold.
(This corresponds to Ee– equal to zero.)
Note: pgold = 7.68 x 10-19 J

Ans.: 259 nm
 WE BELIEVE IN PHOTONS
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• Red light is used in photographic darkrooms because it

is not energetic enough to break the halogen-silver
bond in black and white films

• Ultraviolet light causes sunburn but visible light does

not because UV photons are more energetic

• Our eyes detect color because photons of different

energies trigger different chemical reactions in retina
cells
 BUT ….WAVES SEEM TO WORK Also SHECAT

The properties of light to be described

in the following sections - reflection,
refraction, diffraction, and interference - can
all be explained in terms of light viewed as a
wave.
 Clearly, Light Can Be SHECAT

Described of as a Wave
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WAVE PROPERTIES OF LIGHT

REFLECTION SHECAT

Phenomenon of wave in which a wave is returned

after impinging on a surface. When energy such
as light, traveling from one medium encounters a
different medium, part of the energy usually
passes on while other is reflected.
REFLECTION SHECAT

Law of Reflection:

Angle of Incidence = Angle of Reflection

SPECULAR REFLECTION VERSUS
DIFFUSE REFLECTION SHECAT

• In specular reflection
each incident ray bounces
off in a single direction.
SPECTACULAR REFLECTION VERSUS
DIFFUSE REFLECTION SHECAT

• A surface that is not shiny

creates diffuse reflection.

•In diffuse reflection, a single

ray of light scatters into many
directions.
 REFRACTION
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Light refracts, which means that when a ray

passes from one medium to another, it changes
direction (bends) at the interface because of the
difference in speed of the wave in the media.

Incident
ray
Refracted ray
 REFRACTION
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The ratio of this speed difference is called the

index of refraction (n). The ratio of the indices of
refraction and the direction of the two rays of light
for the two media are expressed in Snell’s Law:

n1 sin (θ) = n2 sin (ϕ)

Where:
n1 and n2 = the indices of refraction for the two media
θ = angle of incidence

ϕ = angle of refraction
REFRACTION
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• If n1 = n2, then θ = ϕ

• If n1 < n2, then θ > ϕ

• If n1 > n2, then θ < ϕ

n1 sin (θ) = n2 sin (ϕ)

EXAMPLE: SHECAT

1. Medium 1 is made of silicon and

Medium 2 is made of glass. Their
refractive indexes are 3.4 and 1.4,
respectively. For an angle of
refraction of 30 degrees, determine
the angle of incidence.
Ans.: 11.88o
EXAMPLE: SHECAT

2. A ray of light traveling through air is

incident on a smooth surface of water
at an angle of 30° to the normal.
Calculate the angle of refraction for
the ray as it enters the water.
 INDEX OF REFRACTION SHECAT

Refractive Refractive
Substance Substance
Index Index

Vacuum 1.0000 Magnesium Fluoride 1.38

Air 1.0003 Glass (fused quarts) 1.46

Ice 1.309 Glass (crown) 1.52

Sodium Chloride
Water 1.33 1.54
(salt)
Ethyl
1.36 Diamond 2.42
Alcohol
DIFFRACTION SHECAT

The bending or spreading out of waves as

they pass around the edge of an obstacle or
through a narrow aperture.
DIFFRACTION SHECAT
DISPERSION SHECAT

If a beam of white light enters a glass prism, what emerges

from the other side is a spread out beam of many colored
light. The various colors are refracted through different
angles by the glass, and are ``dispersed'', or spread out.
POLARIZATION SHECAT

Light waves are complex. Light is composed of

one or more transverse electromagnetic waves
(TEM) that have both an electric field (called the
E field) and a magnetic field (called the H field)
components.
POLARIZATION SHECAT

Light consists of a varying electric

and magnetic field
POLARIZATION SHECAT

UNPOLARIZED LIGHT

Light is unpolarized if it is composed of vibrations in

many different directions, with no preferred orientation.
Many light sources (e.g., incandescent bulbs, arc lamps,
the sun) produce unpolarized light.
POLARIZATION SHECAT

VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL POLARIZATIONS

Vertical polarization is the one that

lies in a plane perpendicular to the
plane of incidence.

Horizontal polarization (right

figure) is the one that lies in the
plane of incidence (the plane
containing the incident and
reflected wave)
POLARIZATION SHECAT

POLARIZERS

Certain materials will transmit only selected

polarizations. They are called polarizers—or
analyzers. With randomly polarized light, a
polarizer will pass light of one polarization and
absorb or reflect other polarizations.
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POLARIZERS
The intensity of light passing through a linear polarizer can be
calculated using the equation:

I(θ) = I0 cos2(θ)
Where: I(θ) = is the light intensity passed by the polarizer

I0 = is the incident light intensity.

• The angle of the E-field with respect to the transmission

axis is defined as θ.
POLARIZATION SHECAT

POLARIZERS

(a) Given horizontally polarized light, what would

be the ratio of the light intensity output to the
light intensity input for θ = 0°, 45°, and 90°?

Solution: Using the given equation to solve for

I(θ)/I0 and plug in the numbers.
I(θ)/I0 = cos2 (θ)
I(0)/I0 = cos2 (0) = 1
I(45)/I0 = cos2 (45) = 0.5
I(90)/I0 = cos2 (90) = 0
 INTERFERENCE
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This is a phenomenon that occurs when two light

beams meet.

If the two beams enhance each other to give a

brighter beam, it is called constructive
interference

If they beams interfere in a way that makes the

total beam less bright, it is called destructive
interference.
INTERFERENCE
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INTERFERENCE FRINGES
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REVIEW THE PROPERTIES
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Refraction: is very easily understood

within the wave model of light if one
recalls that light “slows down” as it enters
a more dense medium. The part of the
wave front that is already in the water is
going more slowly than the part that is still
in the air. As a necessity, the wave front
in the water “turns” inward.
REVIEW THE PROPERTIES
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Dispersion: Now that we understand refraction

as due to the change in the speed of light as it
enters a more dense medium, we can also
understand what causes dispersion. All colors of
light go at the same speed in vacuum, but they
travel at different speeds inside matter. For
example, blue light travels a bit faster, in
general, than red light. This in turn makes the
blue light bend more, and the colors go their
separate ways,
REVIEW THE PROPERTIES
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Interference: For constructive

interference, the waves meet in phase,
i.e. so that the crests of each wave
coincide. In destructive interference, the
waves meet out of phase, so that the crest
of one wave coincides with a trough of the
other wave, and they cancel each other
out.
 REVIEW THE PROPERTIES
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Diffraction: is readily explained in terms of

light waves. It is will known that when waves
can come in two basic shapes. Plane waves
are waves in which the crests are essentially
straight lines that follow one another like lines
of soldiers walking in formation. Circular
waves consist of crests that move out from a
point source in circles of ever-increasing
radii.
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REVIEW THE PROPERTIES

When plane waves come to a barrier, such

as a wall, they are stopped. But if the wall
has a narrow opening, some of the wave gets
through. If the opening is sufficiently narrow,
specifically it must be of the same size as the
wavelength of the wave, then the part of the
wave that gets through is a circular wave,
that looks like it is coming from a point source
(i.e. the opening).
COOL THING ABOUT LIGHT
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 It can be thought of as both a particle

and a wave, so called “particle-wave
duality”

 Lower energy (longer wavelength) light

acts predominately like a wave

 High energy (shorter wavelength) light

acts predominately like a particle
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COOL THINGS LIGHT CAN TELL US

 It can tell us what you are made out of

 It can tell us if you are moving toward

or away from us

 It can tell us how far away you are or (if

we already know that) how energetic you
are

 It can tell us your temperature

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COOL THINGS LIGHT CAN TELL US

 Most of all, it gives us a clear

understanding on how ‘fiber optics’ was
designed
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THANK YOU!
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