TABLE OF CONTENTS In addition to factors such as construction, materials, and size as discussed in the previous chapter, optical fibers have certain performance or operational characteristics that define them. These characteristics may describe limitations or features of the fiber with regard to its light-carrying ability under various conditions, and are generally affected by its physical properties.
In this chapter, we describe the characteristics of optical fiber that affect the way it is selected, handled, installed, and used. We'll cover in detail how these characteristics change a fiber's ability to carry light, as well as the methods used to take advantage of some characteristics while minimizing the effects of others.
If you've ever looked at your bank balance and wondered where it all went, you have some idea of why it's important to understand fiber characteristics in great detail.
Chances are, when you took another look at your account, you remembered that some of it went to necessities, some to entertainment, some to service charges, and so on. It didn't all go away at once: it was spent little by little, in many different places. Any single expenditure may have gone almost unnoticed, but over time all of those expenses can add up to a significant amount.
This is typically the fate of light as it passes through an optical fiber. By the time it reaches the other end, it is diminished in several ways most notably in its power and its ability to carry a signal. In spite of...
