Dispersion
Term | Main definition |
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Dispersion |
A broadening or spreading of light along the propagation
path due to one or more factors within the
medium (such as optical fiber) through which the light is traveling. There are three major types of dispersion:
modal, material, and waveguide. Modal dispersion is
caused by differential optical path lengths in a multimode
fiber. Material dispersion is caused by a delay of
various wavelengths of light in a waveguide material.
Waveguide dispersion is caused by light traveling in
both the core and cladding materials in single-mode
fibers and interfering with the transmission of the signal
in the core. If dispersion becomes too great, individual
signal components can overlap one another or degrade
the quality of the optical signal. Dispersion is one of the
most common factors limiting the amount of data that
can be carried in optical fiber and the distance the signal
can travel while still being usable; therefore, dispersion
is one of the limits on bandwidth on fiber-optic cables. It
is also called pulse spreading because dispersion causes
a broadening of the input pulses along the length of the
fiber.
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