Equalization Concepts A Tutorial

Optical Cable and Optical Fiber Concepts

Fiber optics, or optical fibers, are long, thin strands of carefully drawn glass about the diameter of a human hair. These strands are arranged in bundles called fiber optic cables. Such fibers are widely used in fiber-optic communication, where they permit transmission over longer distances and at higher bandwidths (data transfer rates) than electrical cables. The cladding's refractive index is slightly smaller than that of the core, which confines light within the core and propagates by repeated total reflection at the boundary with the. Optical fiber is a technology used to transmit data by sending short light pulses along a long fiber, which is typically made of glass or plastic. Fiber optic transmission systems are superior to metallic. This series of courses are based on the Navy Electricity and Electronics Training Series (NEETS) section on Fiber Optic cable systems. The NEETS material has been reformatted for readability and ease of use as a continuing education course.

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