This is a list of fiber optic terms derived from the Glossary of Telecommunication Terms published as Federal Standard 1037C. Please see the Federal Standard article for copyright-related issues, as not all parts of the source document are in the public domain. Federal Standard 1037C entitled Telecommunications: Glossary of Telecommunication Terms is a U.S. Federal Standard, issued by the General Services Administration pursuant to the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, as amended. ...

See also list of optical topics. Probably some Wikipedia articles on topics in optics are not yet listed on this page. ...

acceptance angle -- acceptance cone -- aligned bundle -- all-silica fiber -- angle of incidence -- angle of refraction -- aramid yarn -- armor -- axial propagation constant -- bandwidth-distance product -- bound mode -- braid -- break out -- breakout cable -- buffer -- bundle -- cable -- cable cutoff wavelength (cc) -- cladding -- cladding diameter -- cladding mode -- cladding mode stripper -- cleave -- concentricity error -- core -- core area -- core diameter -- coupled modes -- coupling efficiency -- critical angle -- cutback technique -- cutoff mode -- cutoff wavelength -- deeply depressed cladding fiber -- dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) -- dielectric waveguide -- differential quantum efficiency -- dispersion (optics) -- dispersion-shifted fiber -- dispersion-unshifted fiber -- dopant -- doubly clad fiber -- differntial phase shift keying -- (DPSK) duplex cable -- effective mode volume -- electrical length -- end finish -- equilibrium length -- equilibrium mode distribution (EMD) -- equilibrium mode simulator -- evanescent field -- evanescent mode -- extrinsic joint loss -- fiber amplifier -- fiber optic cable -- fiber optic link -- fiber optics (FO) -- first window -- flooding compound -- fundamental mode -- fusion splice -- gap loss -- gap-loss attenuator -- gel -- glass -- graded-index fiber -- graded-index profile -- group delay -- group index -- group velocity -- guided ray -- homogeneous cladding -- hybrid cable -- hybrid mode -- hydroxyl ion absorption -- inclusion -- index dip -- index-matching material -- insertion loss -- intensity modulation (IM) -- intramodal distortion -- intrinsic joint loss -- joint -- lateral offset loss -- launch angle -- launching fiber -- launch numerical aperture (LNA) -- lay length -- leaky mode -- leaky ray -- long wavelength -- macrobend -- macrobend loss -- mandrel wrapping -- material dispersion coefficient [M()] -- material scattering -- mechanical splice -- meridional ray -- microbend -- minimum bend radius -- minimum-dispersion window -- minimum-loss window -- modal distribution -- modal loss -- modal noise -- mode -- mode coupling -- mode field diameter (MFD) -- mode partition noise -- mode scrambler -- mode volume -- multifiber cable -- multifiber joint -- multimode distortion -- multimode optical fiber -- near-field region -- near-field scanning -- nonlinear scattering -- numerical aperture loss -- numerical aperture (NA ) -- OFC -- OFN -- OFNP -- OFNR -- open waveguide -- optical connector -- optical damage threshold -- optical fiber -- optical isolator -- optical junction -- ovality -- overfill -- parabolic profile -- PCS fiber -- phase term -- pigtail -- plastic-clad silica fiber -- polarization-maintaining optical fiber (PM) -- power-law index profile -- precision-sleeve splicing -- primary coating -- profile parameter (g ) -- quadruply clad fiber -- radiation angle -- radiation-hardened fiber -- radiation mode -- radiation pattern -- reference surface -- reflection loss -- refracted ray -- refractive index contrast -- refractive index (n, ) -- refractive index profile -- ribbon cable -- rip cord -- scattering center -- second window -- short wavelength -- silica -- single-mode optical fiber -- skew ray -- slab-dielectric waveguide -- soliton -- SONET -- spectral loss curve -- splice loss -- splice organizer -- star coupler -- step-index fiber -- step-index profile -- strength member -- substitution method -- surface wave -- tap -- tapered fiber -- T-coupler -- terminus -- thin-film optical waveguide -- third window -- tolerance field -- transmitter central wavelength range (max- min) -- transverse electric and magnetic mode (TEM) -- transverse electric mode (TE) -- transverse magnetic mode (TM) -- traveling wave -- vertex angle -- waveguide -- weakly guiding fiber -- window -- zero-dispersion slope -- zero-dispersion wavelength -- zip-cord In optical fibers the acceptance angle θ is the half-angle of the cone within which incident light is totally internally reflected by the fiber core. ... In an optical fiber the acceptance cone is the cone within which optical power is coupled into the guided rays (guided modes) of an optical fiber. ... All-silica fiber, also called all-glass fiber or silica-silica fiber, is an optical fiber composed of silica-glass core and cladding. ... An angle of incidence is the angle between a beam incident on a surface and the normal (line perpendicular to the surface at the point of incidence). ... Angle of refraction is the angle between the beam refracted at the boundary between two media of different refractive indices and the normal (line perpendicular to the surface at the point of the incidence). ... Alternative meanings: vehicle armour, Armor (novel) A hoplite wearing a helmet, a breastplate and greaves (and nothing else). ... Step by step creation of a basic braid using three strings To braid is to interweave or twine three or more separate strands of one or more materials in a diagonally overlapping pattern. ... Buffer can have various meanings: In chemistry, the term buffer refers to a buffer solution used to stabilize the pH (acidity) of a liquid. ... In mathematics, a bundle is a generalization of a fiber bundle dropping the condition of a local product structure. ... A cable is two or more wires bound together which may be bare or covered or insulated. ... The term cladding has the following meanings: Regarding optical fiber in telecommunication, cladding is one or more layers of material of lower refractive index, in intimate contact with a core material of higher refractive index. ... In telecommunication, a cladding mode is an undesired mode that is confined to the cladding of an optical fiber by virtue of the fact that the cladding has a higher refractive index than the surrounding medium, air or primary polymer overcoat. ... A cleave in an optical fiber is a deliberate, controlled break, intended to create a perfectly flat endface, perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the fiber. ... In an optical fiber, the concentricity error is the distance between the center of the two concentric circles that specify the cladding diameter and the center of the two concentric circles that specify the core diameter. ... Science In archaeology, a core is a distinctive artifact that results from the practice of lithic reduction. ... In geometric optics, at a refractive boundary, the critical angle is the smallest angle of incidence at which total internal reflection occurs. ... In telecommunication, a cutback technique is a destructive technique for determining certain optical fiber transmission characteristics, such as attenuation and bandwidth, by (a) performing the desired measurements on a long length of the fiber under test, (b) cutting the fiber under test at a point near the launching end, (c... In telecommunication, the term cutoff wavelength has the following meanings: 1. ... In telecommunications wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) is a technology which multiplexes several optical carrier signals on a single optical fibre by using different wavelengths (colours) of laser light to carry different signals. ... In physics, optics, and telecommunication, a waveguide is a structure that confines and guides a propagating electromagnetic wave. ... In optics, dispersion is a phenomenon that causes the separation of a wave into spectral components with different frequencies, due to a dependence of the waves speed on its frequency. ... A dopant is an impurity that is added in small amounts to a pure substance to change its properties. ... In telecommunication, a doubly clad fiber is a single-mode optical fiber that has two claddings. ... Modulation means sending the binary ones and zeros in a way suitebale for the channel you wish to use. ... For an optical fiber, the effective mode volume is the square of the product of the diameter of the near-field pattern and the sine of the radiation angle of the far-field pattern. ... In telecommunication, the term electrical length has the following meanings: 1. ... Equilibrium length: For a specific excitation condition, the length of multimode optical fiber necessary to attain equilibrium mode distribution. ... In telecommunication, an optical amplifier is a device that amplifies an optical signal directly, without the need to convert it to an electrical signal, or amplify it electrically, and reconvert it to an optical signal. ... Fiber Optic strands An optical fiber in American English or fibre in British English is a transparent thin fiber for transmitting light. ... Fiber Optic strands An optical fiber in American English or fibre in British English is a transparent thin fiber for transmitting light. ... A gel is an apparently solid, jellylike material formed from a colloidal solution. ... The materials definition of a glass is a uniform amorphous solid material, usually produced when a suitably viscous molten material cools very rapidly, thereby not giving enough time for a regular crystal lattice to form. ... In telecommunication, a graded-index fiber is an optical fiber with a core having a refractive index that decreases with increasing radial distance from the fiber axis. ... In physics, and in particular in optics, the study of waves and digital signal processing, the term group delay has the following meanings: 1. ... The group velocity of a wave is the velocity with which the overall shape of the waves amplitude (known as the envelope of the wave) propagates through space. ... Guided ray: In an optical fiber, a ray that is confined primarily to the core. ... Hydroxyl ion absorption is the absorption in optical fibers of electromagnetic waves, including the near-infrared, due to the presence of trapped hydroxyl ions remaining from water as a contaminant. ... In mathematics, inclusion is a partial order on sets. ... In telecommunication, an index-matching material is a substance, usually a liquid, cement (adhesive), or gel, which has an index of refraction that closely approximates that of an optical fiber, and is used to reduce Fresnel reflection at the fiber endface. ... In telecommunication, the term insertion loss has the following meanings: 1. ... Intensity modulation (IM): In optical communications, a form of modulation in which the optical power output of a source is varied in accordance with some characteristic of the modulating signal. ... This article is about a joint in zootomical anatomy. ... In telecommunication, the term launch angle has the following meanings: 1. ... In telecommunication, launch numerical aperture (LNA) is the numerical aperture of an optical system used to couple (launch) power into an optical fiber. ... Leaky mode: In an optical fiber or other form of waveguide, a mode having a field that decays monotonically for a finite distance in the transverse direction but becomes oscillatory everywhere beyond that finite distance. ... Leaky ray: In an optical fiber, a ray for which geometric optics would predict total internal reflection at the boundary between the core and the cladding, but which suffers loss by virtue of the curved core boundary. ... Mandrel wrapping: In multimode fiber optics, a technique used to modify the modal distribution of a propagating optical signal. ... Material dispersion coefficient [ M ( λ )]: In an optical fiber, pulse broadening per unit length of fiber and per unit of spectral width, usually expressed in picoseconds per (nanometre·kilometre). ... Material scattering: Of an electromagnetic wave, scattering that is attributable to the intrinsic properties of the material through which the wave is propagating. ... A mechanical splice is an optical junction of two (or more) optical fibers that are aligned and held in place by a self-contained assembly (usually the size of a large carpenters nail). ... This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ... In telecommunication, minimum bend radius is the radius below which a cable should not be bent. ... Mode has several meanings: In statistics, the mode is the value that has the largest number of observations, namely the most frequent value or values. ... In telecommunication, a mode field diameter (MFD) is an expression of distribution of the irradiance, , the optical power, across the end face of a single-mode fiber. ... Mode partition noise: In an optical communications link, phase jitter of the signal caused by the combined effects of mode hopping in the optical source and intramodal distortion in the fiber. ... In telecommunication, the term mode scrambler (mode mixer) has the following meanings: A device for inducing mode coupling in an optical fiber. ... In telecommunication, mode volume is the number of bound modes that an optical fiber is capable of supporting. ... In the study of diffraction and antenna design, the near field is that part of the radiated field that is within a small number of wavelengths of the diffracting edge or antenna. ... Numerical aperture is a technical term of multiple uses: Numerical aperture of optical telecommunication fiber Numerical aperture in microscopy This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... OFC is a TLA that may stand for: Oakland Fitness Council Objective force capabilities Oceania Football Confederation Offshore financial center Olayan Financing Company (Saudia Arabia) Ontario Fitness Council Open fiber control Open File Connection (Legato Systems) Open Financial Connectivity Optical fiber communication Optical Fiber Conference Optical fiber coupler Oregon Fishing... OFNR is an abbreviation for optical fiber, nonconductive, riser. ... Optical fibers An optical fiber is a transparent thin fiber, usually made of glass or plastic, for transmitting light. ... In electronics, an optical isolator is a device that uses a short optical transmission path to transfer a signal between elements of a circuit while keeping them electrically isolated -- since the signal goes from an electrical signal to an optical signal back to an electrical signal, electrical contact along the... In telecommunication, a plastic-clad silica fiber (PCS) is an optical fiber that has a silica-based core and a plastic cladding. ... The pigtail has its roots in the Manchu hairstyle during the Qing Dynasty. ... In telecommunication, a plastic-clad silica fiber (PCS) is an optical fiber that has a silica-based core and a plastic cladding. ... In telecommunication, a polarization-maintaining optical fiber (PM) is an optical fiber in which the polarization planes of lightwaves launched into the fiber are maintained during propagation with little or no cross-coupling of optical power between the polarization modes. ... For optical fibers, a power-law index profile Bananas are very fun. ... In telecommunication, a quadruply clad fiber is a single-mode optical fiber that has four claddings. ... Radiation angle: In fiber optics, half the vertex angle of the cone of light emitted at the exit face of an optical fiber. ... For an optical fiber, Radiation mode, or unbound mode, is an unbound mode. ... In telecommunication, the term radiation pattern has the following meanings: 1. ... Reference surface: In optical-fiber technology, that surface of an optical fiber that is used to contact the transverse-alignment elements of a component such as a connector or mechanical splice. ... In telecommunication, the term reflection loss has the following meanings: 1. ... The term refracted ray has the following meanings: A ray that undergoes refraction. ... Refractive index contrast, in an optical fiber, is a measure of the relative difference in refractive index of the core and cladding. ... The parameter used to describe the interaction of electromagnetic radiation with matter is the complex index of refraction, , which is a combination of a real part and an imaginary part. ... Left: 20-way grey ribbon cable with wire no. ... The chemical compound silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is the oxide of silicon, chemical formula SiO2. ... In telecommunication, a single-mode optical fiber is an optical fiber in which only the lowest order bound mode can propagate at the wavelength of interest. ... A soliton is a self-reinforcing solitary wave caused by nonlinear effects in the medium. ... Synchronous Optical Networking, commonly known as SONET, is a standard for communicating digital information over optical fiber. ... In telecommunication, a star coupler is a passive optical coupler having a number of input and output ports, used in network applications. ... For an optical fiber, a step-index profile is refractive index profile characterized by a uniform refractive index within the core and a sharp decrease in refractive index at the core-cladding interface. ... In optical fiber technology, the substitution method is a method of measuring the transmission loss by (a) using a stable optical source, at the wavelength of interest, to drive a mode scrambler, the output of which overfills (drives) a 1-meter to 2-meter reference fiber having physical and optical... In physics, a surface wave is a wave that is guided along the interface between two different media for a mechanical wave, or by a refractive index gradient for an electromagnetic wave. ... TAP can be: TAP Portugal (former TAP Air Portugal), an airline based in Portugal. ... The word terminus is used in several different contexts including various topics: In transport a terminus is commonly used to describe a bus station/rail station acting as an end destination. ... In physics, optics, and telecommunication, a waveguide is an inhomogeneous (structured) material medium that confines and guides a propagating electromagnetic wave. ... In optics, a weakly guiding fiber is one where the difference between the refractive indexes of the core and the cladding is very small (typically less than 1%). Categories: Stub ... Highly decorative Window in a Japanese Onsen in Hakone A window is an opening in an otherwise solid, opaque surface through which light can pass. ... Zero-dispersion slope: In a single-mode optical fiber, the rate of change of dispersion, with respect to wavelength, at the fibers zero-dispersion wavelength. ... In telecommunication, the term zero-dispersion wavelength has the following meanings: 1. ... Zip-cord: In optical communications, a two-fiber cable consisting essentially of two single-fiber cables having their jackets conjoined by a strip of jacket material. ...