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Optical
Communication
Introduction

Topic of Discussion
• History of Optical Communication
• Optical Communication Evolution
• Generic Optical System

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Communication
• Communication is a process that involves sending and receiving messages through the verbal and
non-verbal methods.

• Communication is a two-way means of communicating information in the form of thoughts,

opinions, and ideas between two or more individuals with the purpose of building an
understanding.

Technological Definition:
• In communication, the data is transferred with the help of analog/digital signal in between
transmitter and receiver.

• Any data is converted into electric form first and after that it is passed through communication
channel.

Introduction to
Optical Communication

Beacon Fire Smoke Semaphore Telegraphs

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Transmitter Communication
Channel
Receiver

Communication Channel
The propagation of an electrical signal through the transmitting medium or
communication channel can take place in the form of electromagnetic signals (or
waves or energy).

• In wireline type communication channel, the electromagnetic signals can

propagate along a metallic wire in the form of a voltage or current waveforms.

• In a wireless medium through free space, the electromagnetic signals can

propagate in the form of electromagnetic radio waves.

• In an optical fiber medium, the information signals can propagate as light waves.

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A. B. Carlson, Communication Systems, © 1986, McGraw-Hill Book Company.

c = ln
where c is speed of light, l is wavelength (in
meter) the frequency n is measured in cycles
per second or hertz (Hz)

𝟏. 𝟐𝟒𝟎𝟔
E = hn =
𝝀
where the parameter h is Planck’s
constant

Optical fiber communication uses the near-infrared spectral band ranging from nominally 770 to 1675 nm.

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Optical Spectral Bands

Fig. Designations of spectral bands used for optical fiber communications

Optical Windows
and Spectral Bands

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Network Information Rates

• Telecom Signal Multiplexing

Network Information Rates

• Telecom Signal Multiplexing

Fig: Digital transmission hierarchy used in the North American telephone network

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Network Information Rates

• Telecom Signal Multiplexing

Fig: Digital transmission hierarchy used in the North American, Europe and Japan telephone network

Fig: Common SDH and SONET line rates and their popular numerical name

Fig. Basic concept of wavelength division multiplexing

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Fig: Main constituents of an optical fiber communications link

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Advantages of Optical Fibers

• Long Distance Transmission
• Large Information Capacity
• Small Size and Low Weight
• Immunity to Electrical Interference
• Enhanced Safety
• Increased Signal Security

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Syllabus
Module I
Optical communication system evolution, Generic optical system, wireless optical
systems, Applications and design challenges, Mode theory for circular waveguides,
Optical fibers, Wave propagation in optical fiber, Ray and wave theory
Module II
Physical and electrical characteristics of fiber, Fiber nonlinearities, Polarization,
Interference, Fiber materials, Fiber fabrication, Attenuation in fibers, Absorption and
scattering losses, Bending losses, Dispersion
Module III
Basic concepts of optical sources, semiconductor lasers, distributed feedback lasers,
Frequency chirping, LED, Source to fiber power launching, Lensing schemes, Fiber to
fiber joints, Fiber splicing, Fiber connectors, Optical modulators

Syllabus
Module IV
Optical detectors, Principles of photo detector, PIN and avalanche
photo diode, Phototransistor, Responsivity, Bandwidth, Noise, Optical
amplifiers and filters
Module V
Optical transceivers, Direct detection and coherent receivers, Noise in
detection process, WDM, Modulation techniques, BER, System design,
Power budgeting, Rise time budgeting, OTDR principles, Maximum
transmission distance due to attenuation and dispersion, Attenuation
and dispersion limits

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Optical Communication
Text Book:
1. G. Keiser, Optical Fiber Communications, McGraw-Hill, 2008
2. M. Senior, Optical Fiber Communications. Principle and Practice,
Prentice Hall
3. G. P. Agrawal, Fiber-Optic Communication Systems, 3rd Edition, John
Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2002

End of Lecture 1

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Optical
Communication
Lecture 2
Optical Fiber & Its Fabrication

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Optical Fiber

Ray theory transmission

Snell’s law of refraction

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Optical Fiber

Acceptance Angle
• θa is the maximum angle to the axis at which light may enter the fiber
in order to be propagated, and is often referred to as the acceptance
angle for the fiber.

pp. 17 Optical Fiber Communications Principles and Practice (3rd Edition) by John Senior PP. 19 Fiber Optics and Optoelectronics by R.P. Khare

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Numerical Aperture
Using Snell’s law given by

It may also be noted that incident meridional rays over the range
will be propagated within the fiber.

A silica optical fiber with a core diameter large enough to be considered by ray theory analysis has a core
refractive index of 1.50 and a cladding refractive index of 1.47. Determine:
(a) the critical angle at the core–cladding interface;
(b) the NA for the fiber;
(c) the acceptance angle in air for the fiber.

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Modes in a Planar Guide

Mode Theory for Planar Waveguides

• Figure shows the field
patterns of several of the
lower-order transverse
electric (TE) modes (which
are solutions of Maxwell’s
equations for the slab
waveguide).
• The order of a mode is
equal to the number of field
zeros across the guide.

Fig. Electric field distributions for several of the lower-order guided modes in a
symmetrical-slab waveguide

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Mode Theory for Circular Waveguides

• The equation for an electric field in an isotropic, linear, non-

conducting, and non-magnetic, but inhomogeneous medium is given
by
Electric field

Magnetic field

• Different component of E and H are coupled.

Refractive index n = 𝜀𝑟 ; n1 = r ≤ a ; n2 = r > a;

Mode Theory for Circular Waveguides

• In cylindrical coordinates (r, f, z), Eq. (4.3) may be written as

n(r, f)

• Substitute the y in above equation.

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Mode Theory for Circular Waveguides

• Putting e0m0 =1/c2 and w /c = k, the free-space wave number, in the above
equation

• The fiber under consideration has cylindrical symmetry, the variables can
be separated:

• where R is a function of only r and F is a function of only f. Substituting y

from last Eq. .we get
•

Mode Theory for Circular Waveguides

• Since the derivatives involved are dependent either on r or f only, the

partial derivatives may be replaced by full derivatives.

• where l is a constant, known as an azimuthal eigenvalue.

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Mode Theory for Circular Waveguides

• The dependence of F on f will be of the form eilf. For the function to

be single valued, i.e., F (f + 2p) = F(f), the constant l is required to
be an integer, that is, l = 0, 1, 2, 3, …

• The complete transverse field will be given by

Mode Theory for Circular Waveguides

• If n1 = r ≤ a ; n2 = r > a;

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Mode Theory for Circular Waveguides

• The Bessel function of the first kind of order l and argument x,

denoted by Jl (x), is defined in terms of an infinite series as follows:

Mode Theory for Circular Waveguides

• The second kind of modified Bessel function of order l is given by

where Hl(–ix) is a Hankel function, which is a linear combination of

Bessel functions of the first (Jl) and second (Yl) kind.
x << l
x >> l

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Mode Theory for Circular Waveguides

• At the boundary, r =a,

• Substituting the values of R and F in Eq., we get the transverse

dependence of the modal fields as follows:

Mode Theory for Circular Waveguides

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Mode Theory for Circular Waveguides

• Thus the continuity of y and dy/dr at the core–cladding interface (r =

a) leads to an eigenvalue equation of the form

Therefore, each allowed value of b is characterized by two integers l and m.

Mode Theory for Circular Waveguides

• The normalized propagation constant b as follows:

Cutoff
Radiative Mode

Cut Off
For l = 0,

u= V =Vc

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Mode Theory for Circular Waveguides

Mode Theory for Circular Waveguides

• Similarly, for l = 1,

• At the cut-off frequency, w = 0, u = V = Vc, the RHS = 0, and we obtain

• For l ≥ 2 modes, the following equation gives the values of Vc:

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Mode Theory for Circular Waveguides

(i) The l = 0 modes have twofold degeneracy corresponding to

two orthogonal linearly polarized states.
(ii) The l > 1 modes have fourfold degeneracy as each
polarization state may have f-dependence of the coslf type
or the sinlf type

Mode Theory for Circular

Waveguides

Figure (a) Variation of the Bessel function Jl(r) for l = 0, 1, 2, 3 (first four orders), plotted against r.
(b) Graph of the modified Bessel function Kl(r) against r for l = 0, 1

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Mode Theory for Circular Waveguides

Mode Theory for Circular Waveguides

Q. Consider a step index fiber characterized by n2 = 1.45, Δ = 0.0064, a=

3.0 mm.

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Mode Theory for Circular Waveguides

• If V>>1, then , Number of Mode is M= V2/2

• Example:

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Optical Fiber

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Optical Fiber

Types of Optical Fiber

Optical Fiber are
based on

Refractive Number of
Material
Index Profile Mode

Glass Fiber Plastic Step Index Graded Multimode

Fiber Fiber Index Fiber Single Mode
Fiber

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