ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses basic electromagnetic theory and optics useful in describing phenomena in fiber optic systems. It reviews electromagnetic plane waves. The chapter provides some examples of matrix methods for the description of ray propagation. It presents some properties of optical beams. Fiber optics became a feasible transmission medium in 1970 with the reduction of losses to 20 dB/km. At that time, technology also existed to produce semiconductor detectors suitable for use with optical fibers, but there were no suitable sources. The optical fibers, in common use, can be separated into two classes based on their modal properties, single-mode fibers, and multimode fibers. Optical fibers have advantages that make them attractive in a variety of applications. They have extremely high bandwidth. The amount of light reflected at a dielectric interface depends on the polarization, the angle of incidence, and the indices of refraction of the two media.
