Question

Name the principle on which Optical Fiber works:

Answer 1

Optical Fiber:

1. Optical fiber is associated with data transmission using light pulses traveling along with a long fiber that is made of plastic or glass.
2. Metal wires are preferred for transmission in optical fiber communication as signals travel with less damage.
3. A fiber optic cable can contain any number of these glass fibers -- from a few up to a couple hundred.
4. There are two types of fiber, each of which has a different application.
5. These are multimode fiber, which has a large core and allows for multiple paths through the fiber, and single-mode fiber, which has only one path, through a much smaller core.

Principle on which Optical Fiber works:

1. Optical fibers depend on total internal reflection.
2. Total internal reflection (TIR) may be defined as the complete reflection of a beam of light within some medium like water or glass from the surrounding surfaces back into the medium.
3. This phenomenon occurs when the angle of incidence is more than a certain angle, which is called as the critical angle.
4. Total internal reflection is a very useful phenomenon. That's why it has a number of applications that include: like its use in right-angled isosceles prism - these prisms can turn light through 90 and 180 degrees based on internal reflection. these right-angled isosceles prism are mostly used in various optical instruments.
5. The angle of polarization is also called Brewster's angle. The light that gets reflected from the surface at Brewster's angle makes a shining effect. The concept of Brewster's angle is required for creating polarized light by reflections at the surface of the mirror of the laser cavity.
6. An optical fiber is a thin rod type of high-quality glass.
7. Light getting in at one end undergoes repeated total internal reflection and emerges at the other end.
8. Notice in the figure that the light refracts towards the normal as it enters the optical fiber.

Thus, Optical Fiber works on the principle of total internal reflection for its operation.