Transmission of Light Through Optical Fibers

The transmission of light along optical fibers depends not only on the nature of light, but also on the structure of the optical fiber. Two methods are used to describe how light is transmitted along the optical fiber. The first method, ray theory, uses the concepts of light reflection and refraction. The second method, mode theory, treats light as electromagnetic waves. You must first understand the basic optical properties of the materials used to make optical fibers. These properties affect how light is transmitted through the fiber.