Skip to main content
Library homepage
 

Text Color

Text Size

 

Margin Size

 

Font Type

Enable Dyslexic Font
Physics LibreTexts

12: Optical Communications

( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\)

  • 12.1: Introduction to optical communication links
    This page introduces optical communications and photonics, tracing their development and emphasizing the role of optical fibers in high-bandwidth, long-distance transmission. It covers essential components like lasers and photodetectors, while also considering microwave satellite communications for broadcasting. The discussion includes practical applications, such as trans-oceanic cables and Mars communication, highlighting data transmission capacities.
  • 12.2: Optical Waveguides
    This page covers the principles and characteristics of dielectric slab waveguides and optical fibers, detailing TE modes, their frequency behavior, and the impact of geometrical properties on light propagation. It discusses the propagation of different modes, challenges such as dispersion and pulse distortion in optical fibers, and techniques to mitigate these effects.
  • 12.3: Lasers
    This page explains the functioning of lasers, including their reliance on quantum processes for coherent light generation and the importance of population inversion. It addresses the efficiency of three- and four-level lasers, challenges in building high-energy lasers, and concepts such as laser oscillators and diodes. The text also covers the impact of resonant frequencies, line broadening effects, and molecular collisions on laser operations.
  • 12.4: Optical detectors, multiplexers, interferometers, and switches
    This page covers key photon detectors including phototubes and semiconductor photodiodes, with the latter preferred for efficiency in visible and infrared light. It explains optical communication systems utilizing wave-division multiplexing and details the workings of multiplexers, demultiplexers, and interferometers like Mach-Zehnder and Michelson.

Thumbnail: pixabay.com/photos/fiber-optic-cable-blue-network-2749588/


This page titled 12: Optical Communications is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by David H. Staelin (MIT OpenCourseWare) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.

Support Center

How can we help?