Optical Fibre Communications,

Problemes:

1- Consider a light travelling in a pure SiO2 glass fibre. For wavelength of 1 mincro
meter and refractive index of 1.4504, calculate:
(i) The phase velocity
(ii) The group refractive index
(iii) The group velocity

You may use the plot showing the refractive index Vs. wavelength as given in the
lecture note.

Solution:
Vp = c/n = 3 x 108/1.4504 = 2.068 x 108 m/s
ng = n - (dn/d ). From the graph dn/d = -.01/um at = 1 um.
Therefore, ng = 1.4605.
vg = c/ng = 2.054 x 108 m/s.

2- A glass fibre has material dispersion given by: | 2o (d2 1/d 2o| = 0.025.
Determine the material dispersion parameter at = 850 nm. A laser diode is as an
optical source with a relative spectral width of 0.0012 and = 850 nm. Estimate the root
mean square pulse spreading per km.

Solution:
Material dispersion coefficient can be written as:

= 0.025/(3 x 108 x 850 nm) = 98.1 ps/nm km.

Since = 0.0012 , therefore the material dispersion is = (98.1 nm).(1.02 nm) = 100
ps/km.

3- (a) Discuss the effects of fibre dispersion and attenuation on digital communication
and how they can be minimised or prevented.

Solution: See lecture notes

(b) Consider a fibre with a core and cladding refractive indices of 1.458 and 1.44,
respectively. An optical pulse propagated through the fibre will be affected by the its
dispersion property. Material and waveguide dispersion are very small Calculate the
pulse dispersion per kilometre for the maximum pulse repetition rate and bandwidth-
length product for:
i) multimode step index fibre
ii) multimode graded index fibre.

Comment on the results obtained and explain why one is better than the other.

Solution:
(i) The relative referactive index = (n1 n2)/n2 = 0.0125.
Pulse dispersion/km t/L n1/c = 60 ns /km.
The mean pulse repetition rate R = 1/minimum pulse separation = 1/2 t = 8.3 MHz.
Thus the bandwidth-distance product = 8.3 MHz -km .

(ii) Pulse dispersion/km t/L2n1/8c = 95 ps/km /km.

The mean pulse repetition rate R = 1/2 t = 5.2 GHz. Thus the bandwidth-distance
product = 5.2 GHz -km .

4- (a) Discuss why optical fibre cables are better than coaxial copper cable for
transmitting information.

Solution: See lecture notes

(b) Discuss why the operators have moved up in wavelength from 1300 nm to 1550
nm, although that 1300 nm has zero dispersion?

Solution: See lecture notes.

5- The velocity of light in the core of a step index fibre is 2.01 x108 m/s, and the
critical angle at the core-cladding interface is 80o. Determine the numerical aperature
and the acceptance angle for the fibre in air, asuming the fibre has a core diameter
suitable for consideration by the ray analysis.

Solutions
Phase velocity = c/n1 = 1.492 m/s.

The acceptance angle = sin-1 NA = sin-1[(n12-n22)0.5] = 15.2o.

6- The relative refractive index difference between the core axix and the cladding of a
multi-mode graded index fibre is 0.7% when the refractive index at the core axis is
1.45. Estimate the values for the numerical aperture of the fibre when: (i) the index
profile is not taken into account, and (ii) the index profile is assumed to be triangular.
Comeent on the results.
Solutions
NA = n1(2 )0.5 = 1.45(2(0.007))0.5 = 0.172.
Assume n1 is the value at the core axis, then

n2 = n1(1- ) = 1.44.

Considering a triangular index profile then n1 must be the mean value, thus

NA = 1.445(0.14)0.5 = 0.171.

The two values obtained for the NA are almost identical, only differeing slightly in
the third decimal place.

7- The numerical input/output mean optical power ratio in one Kmlength of fibre is
found to be 2.5. Calculate the received mean optical power when a mean power of 1
mW is launched into a 5 km length of fibre. Assume no splicing and no connertors
being used.

Solutions

Attenuation/km = 10 log(Pi/Po) = 4 dB.km.

For 5 km length of fibre

(4.0 dB/km) 5 km = 10 log (pi/Po). Therefore received mean optical poer Po = 10 uW.

8- (a) Describe the mechanism on (i) intermodal disperion, and (ii) intramodal
dispersion in multi-mode and mono-mode fibres. What is the eefect of disperion on
high speed data transmission? (b) Show that the total pulse broading of light pulse due
to intermodal dispersion in a multi-mode step index fibre is a function of fibre length,
numerical aperture, core refractive index and speed of light. (c) A multi-mode step
index fibre has a core and cladding index profiles of 1.6 and 1.59, respectively.
Estimate the bandwidth-length product for the fibre assuming only intermodal
dispersion and return-to-zero pulse format.

Solutions

(a) and (b) See the lecture notes.

(c) Bnadwidth-length producy = 0.5/ t = 0.5/33.7nm = 14.8 MHz-km.

References
- J M Senior, Optical Fibre Communications - Prienciple and Practice, Prentic-Hall

- J C Palais, Fibre Optic Communications, Prentice-Hall

- G Keiser, Optical Fibre Communicationsm McGraw-Hill

- J Gowar, Optical Communications, Prentice-Hall