* Ideal for those with some background in communications but without previous knowledge of fiber optics * Provides a comprehensive treatment of the fundamentals of fiber optic systems and their individual components * Places emphasis on practical techniques of component installation and system design Fiber Optics is a technology that uses glass (or plastic) threads (fibers) to transmit data. A fiber optic cable consists of a bundle of glass threads, each of which is capable of transmitting messages modulated onto light waves. Fiber optics have several advantages over traditional metal communications lines. While there are plenty of theoretical texts on fiber optics, high-level engineering texts and installation guides, there are few comprehensive applied texts for practicing engineers. This book covers design issues, installation and troubleshooting in the right depth for engineers working in industry. Readers will use this knowledge to develop the required techniques for design, installation and maintenance of their own fiber optic systems.

This text presents the basic principles of the installation and operation of fibre optic systems in varying environments. The focus throughout is on the nuts-and-bolts details of installation using prevailing industry standards.

Readers will use this knowledge to develop the required techniques for design, installation and maintenance of their own fiber optic systems.* Ideal for those with some background in communications but without previous knowledge of fiber optics * Provides a comprehensive treatment of the fundamentals of fiber optic systems and their individual components * Places emphasis on practical techniques of component installation and system design

This book tells you all you want to know about optical fibers: Their structure, their light-guiding mechanism, their material and manufacture, their use. It began with telephone, then came telefax and email. Today we use search engines, music downloads and internet videos, all of which require shuffling of bits and bytes by the zillions. The key to all this is the conduit: the line which is designed to carry massive amounts of data at breakneck speed. In their data carrying capacity optical fiber lines beat all other technologies (copper cable, microwave beacons, satellite links) hands down, at least in the long haul; wireless devices rely on fibers, too. Several effects tend to degrade the signal as it travels down the fiber: they are spelled out in detail. Nonlinear processes are given due consideration for a twofold reason: On the one hand they are fundamentally different from the more familiar processes in electrical cable. On the other hand, they form the basis of particularly interesting and innovative applications, provided they are understood well enough. A case in point is the use of so-called solitons, i.e. special pulses of light which have the wonderful property of being able to heal after perturbation. The book will take you from the physical basics of ray and beam optics, explain fiber structure and the functions of optical elements, and bring you to the forefront of both applications and research. The state of the art of high speed data transmission is described, and the use of fiber optic sensors in metrology is treated. The book is written in a pedagogical style so that students of both physics and electrical engineering, as well as technicians and engineers involved in optical technologies, will benefit. The new edition is largely updated and has new sections on nonlinear phenomena in fibers as well as on the latest trends in applications.

Beginning with an overview of historical development, the electromagnetic spectrum, and optical power basics, this book offers an in-depth discussion of optic receivers, optical transmitters and amplifiers. The text discusses attenuation, transmission losses, optical sources such as semiconductor light emitting diodes, and lasers, providing several dispersion-management schemes that restore the amplified signal to its original state. Topics are discussed in a structured manner, with definitions, explanations, examples, illustrations, and informative facts. Extensive pedagogical features, such as numerical problems, review questions, multiple choice questions, and student-focussed learning objectives, are also provided. Mathematical derivations and geometrical representations are included where necessary. This text will be useful for undergraduate and graduate students of electronics, communication engineering, and optical fiber communications.

Within the past few decades, information technologies have been evolving at a tremendous rate, causing profound changes to our world and our ways of life. In particular, fiber optics has been playing an increasingly crucial role within the telecommunication revolution. Not only most long-distance links are fiber based, but optical fibers are increasingly approaching the individual end users, providing wide bandwidth links to support all kinds of data-intensive applications such as video, voice, and data services. As an engineering discipline, fiber optics is both fascinating and challenging. Fiber optics is an area that incorporates elements from a wide range of techno- gies including optics, microelectronics, quantum electronics, semiconductors, and networking. As a result of rapid changes in almost all of these areas, fiber optics is a fast evolving field. Therefore, the need for up-to-date texts that address this growing field from an interdisciplinary perspective persists. This book presents an overview of fiber optics from a practical, engineering perspective. Therefore, in addition to topics such as lasers, detectors, and optical fibers, several topics related to electronic circuits that generate, detect, and process the optical signals are covered. In other words, this book attempts to present fiber optics not so much in terms of a field of “optics” but more from the perspective of an engineering field within “optoelectronics.

The Fiber Optic Reference Guide offers readers a solid understanding of the principles of fiber optic technology, especially as it relates to telecommunications, from its early days to developing future trends. Using a minimum of jargon and a wealth of illustrations, this book provides the underlying principles of fiber optics as well as essential practical applications. The third edition is updated to include expanded sections on light emitters, semiconductor optical amplifiers, Bragg gratings, and more systems design considerations. Fiber optics plays a key role in communications, as well as in broadcast and cable systems. Engineers working with fiber optics as well as newcomers to the industry will find the third edition of this reference guide invaluable. It will help the reader develop a solid understanding of the underlying principles of this rapidly changing technology as well as its essential practical applications. The text is thoroughly indexed and illustrated.