Fibre Optics (AQA A Level Physics) : Revision Note

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Fibre Optics

  • Total internal reflection is used to reflect light along optical fibres

    • Light, that is normally monochromatic, refracts when it enters the optical fibre at one end

    • It undergoes repeated total internal reflection against the sides of the fibre until it reaches the other end

    • Where it is refracted back out

  • In this process, the light signals travel long distances without losing information or speed

Optical fibres, IGCSE & GCSE Physics revision notes

Optical fibres utilise total internal reflection where the angle of incidence on the side of the fibre is greater than the critical angle

  • These have many important uses, including:

    • Communications, such as telephone and internet transmission

    • Medical imaging, such as endoscopes

  • The three main components of optical fibres are:

    • An optically dense core tube, made of plastic or glass

    • A lower optically dense cladding surrounding the core

    • An outer sheath

Optical Fibre 2

A light ray is totally internally reflected down an optical fibre against the core-cladding boundary

TIR only occurs when ncladding < ncore

  • This type of optical fibre is called a step-index fibre because the refractive index of each component increases moving from the outside to the centre of the fibre

  • The role of the cladding is to:

    • Protect the thin core from damage and scratching

    • Prevent signal degradation through light escaping the core, which can cause information from the signal to be lost

    • It keeps the signals secure and maintains the original signal quality

    • It keeps the core separate from other fibres preventing information crossover

Material & Modal Dispersion

  • Material and model dispersion both cause pulse broadening 

    • Where the pulses emerging from the fibre are longer than those entering

Material Dispersion

  • When white light is used instead of monochromatic light inside an optical fibre it is separated into all the colours of the spectrum

    • The white light is therefore dispersed, so the beam gets wider as it travels down the optical fibre

3-5-3-material-dispersion

White light is dispersed into its spectral components

  • Each wavelength of light travels at the same speed in a vacuum but at different speeds in a medium

    • Violet light has the shortest wavelength, so it travels the slowest in the fibre 

    • This means its angle of incidence on the fibre boundary is smallest compared to the other colours

    • The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection, so the angle of reflection is also smaller

    • This means it takes longer for the violet colour to travel down the fibre because it undergoes more reflections 

reflection-ray-diagram

Remember when a light ray is reflected then the angle of incidence = angle of reflection

  • Modal dispersion occurs when the monochromatic light pulses in the optical fibre spread out

    • This is because each part of the wavefront has a different angle of incidence and consequently a different angle of reflection

    • So each part of the wavefront undergoes total internal reflection a different number of times

    • Hence, each part of the wavefront reaches the end of the fibre at a slightly different time

  • This effect is more prominent when the core of the fibre is wider

    • So the total internal reflection takes place more times

  • To prevent modal dispersion, the core needs to be very narrow

Material & Modal Dispersion (2), downloadable AS & A Level Physics revision notes

Modal dispersion occurs in a wide optical fibre where it spreads out and broadens

Pulse Broadening & Absorption

  • The absorption of a signal in an optical fibre occurs when the fibre absorbs part of the signal’s energy

    • This reduces the amplitude of the signal, which can lead to a loss in the information transmitted

  • Pulse broadening is caused by modal and material dispersion

    • This can result in the merging of pulses, which distorts the information in the final pulse and increases the amplitude of the signal

Absorption & Pulse Broadening, downloadable AS & A Level Physics revision notes

Reducing Pulse Broadening & Absorption

  • To reduce absorption:

    • Use an extremely transparent core

    • Use optical fibre repeaters so the pulse is regenerated before significant absorption has taken place

  • To reduce pulse broadening:

  • Use a core that is as narrow as possible to reduce the possible differences in the path length of the signal

    • Use of a monochromatic source so the speed of the pulse is constant

    • Use optical fibre repeaters so the pulse is regenerated before significant pulse broadening has taken place

    • Use a single-mode fibre, where only a single wavelength of light passes through the core, to reduce multipath modal dispersion

Worked Example

A cross-sectional view of a step-index optical fibre is shown in the diagram.

Optic Fibres Worked Example (1), downloadable AS & A Level Physics revision notes

The light ray enters the end of the fibre and refracts along the core-cladding boundary.

Calculate the angle of incidence, θ, of the ray at the point of entry to the fibre.

The speed of light in the core is 2.027 × 108 m s–1

The speed of light in the cladding is 2.055 × 108 m s–1

Answer:

Optic Fibres Worked Example (2), downloadable AS & A Level Physics revision notes
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Katie M

Author: Katie M

Expertise: Physics Content Creator

Katie has always been passionate about the sciences, and completed a degree in Astrophysics at Sheffield University. She decided that she wanted to inspire other young people, so moved to Bristol to complete a PGCE in Secondary Science. She particularly loves creating fun and absorbing materials to help students achieve their exam potential.

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