ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the principle of fiber-optics for a variety of applications mainly in telecommunications and fiber-optic sensors. Starting from the very basic concepts of optics and photonic systems, the principles of the loss mechanism in fibers are explained in detail including extrinsic (bending, connector, and launching) losses and intrinsic (absorption and scattering) losses. The chapter provides useful references and list of the manufacturers for fiber-optics equipment and devices. Light or visible light is the portion of electromagnetic spectrum that is visible to the human eye. During the past three decades, fiber optics has attracted considerable attention as the light transmission media. There are three basic types of fibers: single-mode step index, multimode graded index, and multimode step index. There are two basic cable designs for fiber optics called loose-tube cables and tight-buffered cables. The most commonly used optical transmitters are semiconductor devices such as LEDs and laser diodes.
