The third edition of this popular text and reference book presents the fundamental principles for understanding and applying optical fiber technology to sophisticated modern telecommunication systems. Optical-fiber-based telecommunication networks have become a major information-transmission-system, with high capacity links encircling the globe in both terrestrial and undersea installations. Numerous passive and active optical devices within these links perform complex transmission and networking functions in the optical domain, such as signal amplification, restoration, routing, and switching. Along with the need to understand the functions of these devices comes the necessity to measure both component and network performance, and to model and stimulate the complex behavior of reliable high-capacity networks.

Table of Contents

1 Overview of Optical Fiber Communications 2 Optical Fibers: Structures, Waveguiding, and Fabrication 3 Signal Degradation in Optical Fibers 4 Optical Sources 5 Power Launching and Coupling 6 Photodetectors 7 Optical Receiver Operation 8 Digital Transmission Systems 9 Analog Systems 10 WDM Concepts and Components 11 Optical Amplifiers 12 Optical Networks 13 Measurements Appendix A International System of Units Appendix B Useful Mathematical Relations Appendix C Bessel Functions Appendix D Decibels Appendix E Topics from Communication Theory Appendix F Factors Contributing to Dispersion