Mediaspace scheduled maintenance: Aug 25, 2026 07:00 - 12:00 AM. During this time, videos will be temporarily unavailable. Check status updates.

Lecture

Optical Fiber Basics

In course

EE-440: Photonic systems and technology

The physics of optical communication components and their applications to communication systems will be covered. The course is intended to present the operation principles of contemporary optical communication systems employing optical fibers and modern op ...

Description

This lecture covers the fundamental concepts of optical fibers, including Snell's law for light bending, total internal reflection, the structure of optical fibers, numerical aperture, optical fiber modes, single mode fibers, effective index, V-parameter, and basic fiber types. The instructor explains how optical fibers guide light waves, the importance of single mode fibers in reducing dispersion, and the fabrication process of optical fibers from glass preforms.

This video is available exclusively on Mediaspace for a restricted audience. Please log in to MediaSpace to access it if you have the necessary permissions.

Watch on Mediaspace

Instructor

Camille Sophie Brès

Prof. Camille-Sophie Brès is an Associate Professor in the Institute of Electrical Engineering within the School of Engineering of EPFL. Her primary research interests are centered optical communications and on parametric and nonlinear processes in optical fiber and non-silica platforms for ultrafast signal processing, all optical networks, sensing and light sources. She has authored over thirty peer-reviewed journal articles and has presented more than 15 papers at international conferences. She received the Gordon Wu Fellowship for her graduate studies, the NSF CIANs Diversity Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2009, the Early Career Woman in Engineering Award in 2016. She is a senior member of the IEEE and OSA. 2019 - present: Associate Professor in the Institute of Electrical Engineering, EPFL 2011 - 2018: Assistant Professor in the Institute of Electrical Engineering, EPFL 2010 - 2011: Assistant Project Scientist, University of California San Diego (UCSD) 2007 - 2010: Postdoc in ECE, University of California San Diego (UCSD) 2002 - 2007: Ph.D in Electrical Engineering, Princeton University 1998 - 2002: B.Eng with Honours in Electrical Engineering, McGill University

Official source

Related concepts (23)

Optical fiber

An optical fiber, or optical fibre in Commonwealth English, is a flexible, transparent fiber made by drawing glass (silica) or plastic to a diameter slightly thicker than that of a human hair. Optical fibers are used most often as a means to transmit light between the two ends of the fiber and find wide usage in fiber-optic communications, where they permit transmission over longer distances and at higher bandwidths (data transfer rates) than electrical cables.

Single-mode optical fiber

In fiber-optic communication, a single-mode optical fiber (SMF), also known as fundamental- or mono-mode, is an optical fiber designed to carry only a single mode of light - the transverse mode. Modes are the possible solutions of the Helmholtz equation for waves, which is obtained by combining Maxwell's equations and the boundary conditions. These modes define the way the wave travels through space, i.e. how the wave is distributed in space. Waves can have the same mode but have different frequencies.

Fiber-optic communication

Fiber-optic communication is a method of transmitting information from one place to another by sending pulses of infrared or visible light through an optical fiber. The light is a form of carrier wave that is modulated to carry information. Fiber is preferred over electrical cabling when high bandwidth, long distance, or immunity to electromagnetic interference is required. This type of communication can transmit voice, video, and telemetry through local area networks or across long distances.

Fiber-optic cable

A fiber-optic cable, also known as an optical-fiber cable, is an assembly similar to an electrical cable but containing one or more optical fibers that are used to carry light. The optical fiber elements are typically individually coated with plastic layers and contained in a protective tube suitable for the environment where the cable is used. Different types of cable are used for optical communication in different applications, for example long-distance telecommunication or providing a high-speed data connection between different parts of a building.

Multi-mode optical fiber

Multi-mode optical fiber is a type of optical fiber mostly used for communication over short distances, such as within a building or on a campus. Multi-mode links can be used for data rates up to 100 Gbit/s. Multi-mode fiber has a fairly large core diameter that enables multiple light modes to be propagated and limits the maximum length of a transmission link because of modal dispersion. The standard G.651.1 defines the most widely used forms of multi-mode optical fiber.

Related lectures (32)

Optical Fiber Waveguides

Explores optical fiber waveguides, covering modes of propagation, single-mode, multimode fibers, manufacturing, and applications in data transmission.

Optical Fibers: Communication and Amplification

Explores optical fibers, applications in telecommunications, amplification, speed limits, mode mixing, and dispersion effects.

Optical Components: Prisms, Reflectors, Fibers, and Lenses

Explores prisms, total internal reflection in diamonds, optical fibers, the eikonal in inhomogeneous media, and wave focusing by lenses.

Optical Properties: Materials and Light

Explores the optical properties of materials, including reflection, refraction, absorption, and transmission, as well as the behavior of light in optical fibers.

Optical Waves: Reflection, Refraction, and Transmission