TABLE OF CONTENTS The concepts of how light travels along an optical fiber and how it interacts with matter are essential to understanding why certain components are needed and what their functions are in an optical fiber communication system. In this chapter discussions on the properties of light cover the dual wave-particle nature of light, the speed of light in different materials, reflection, refraction, and polarization. These concepts relate to optical phenomena that we see every day, such as light traveling through a solid (e.g., glass), reflection, and refraction. Obviously these factors also play a major role in optical fiber communications. So, let s get enlightened with the following discussions.
The fundamental behavior of light is somewhat mysterious since some phenomena can be explained by using a wave theory whereas in other cases light behaves as though it is composed of miniature particles. This results in a dual wave-particle nature of light. The wave nature is necessary to explain how light travels through an optical fiber, but the particle theory is needed to explain how optical sources generate signals and how photodetectors change these optical signals to electric signals.
Light particles are known as photons, which have a certain energy associated with them. As described in Sec. 3.3, the most common measure of photon energy is the electron volt (eV), which is the energy a photon gains when moving through a 1-V electric field. Photons travel in straight lines called rays and are...
