Optical Fibre Principles

The principle behind the functioning of optical fibers is total internal reflection (TIR). When light enters at one end of the fiber, it undergoes successive total internal reflections and travels down the length of the fiber along a zigzag path.

Total internal reflection is the phenomenon in which light is totally reflected from a denser-to-rarer medium boundary, at an angle greater than the critical angle. According to Snell's law, $\frac{\sin\theta_2}{\sin\theta_1} = \frac{n_2}{n_1}$, where $\theta_1$ is the angle of incidence of light ray in the denser medium, $\theta_2$ is the angle of refraction in the rarer medium, $n_1$ is the refractive index of the denser medium, and $n_2$ is the refractive index of the rarer medium.

Optical fibers guide light waves along their length based on the principle of total internal reflection. When light enters at one end of the fiber, it undergoes successive total internal reflections and travels down the length of the fiber along a zigzag path.

<p>Optical fibers are made up of glass or plastic conduits as thin as a human hair.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A medium with lower refractive index is called an optically rarer medium, and a medium with higher refractive index is called an optically denser medium. When a light ray passes from a rarer medium to a denser medium, it is bent toward the normal in the denser medium.</p> Signup and view all the answers