Fundamentals of optical fibers

John A. Buck

Fundamentals of Optical Fibers offers students a timely, pedagogically consistent introduction to the fundamental principles of light propagation in fibers. In it, Professor John A. Buck reviews, in depth, fundamental waveguiding concepts, the influence of various fiber structures and materials on light transmission, nonlinear light propagation effects occurring in fibers, and various measurement techniques. Since the chief application of optical fibers is in communication systems, throughout the book the focus is on topics which pertain to that domain. In the first part of the text, the author lays the groundwork for later discussions with a detailed review of the relevant electromagnetic principles and how they apply to the analysis of wave propagation. He also introduces basic field equations and delineates the fundamental principles of dielectric waveguides. In the second part, he explores the limitations of fiber transmission, paying particular attention to the problems of loss and dispersion. He reviews fabrication procedures and alternative fiber designs as they relate to minimizing loss and dispersion. And he presents field analysis methods for single mode and multimode fibers having graded index profiles. In the last part, Professor Buck reviews the basics of nonlinear optics and discusses the origins of nonlinear effects and the conditions under which they appear in fibers. This section also features a discussion of fiber amplifiers, along with a review of the fundamentals of light amplification by stimulated emission. Offering a well-balanced presentation of the basics of light propagation in fibers, and including real-world examples and end-of-chapter problems, Fundamentals of Optical Fibers is an excellent text for senior- to graduate-level courses in electrical engineering or physics. It is accessible to anyone who has taken at least a one-semester course in electromagnetics at the undergraduate level.