What is the working principle behind signal transmission in an optical fiber?
Show Hint
For Total Internal Reflection to occur:
(1) Light must travel from a denser to a rarer medium, and
(2) The angle of incidence must be greater than the critical angle.
Step 1: Understanding the Question:
The question seeks to identify the specific physical phenomenon that allows light signals to travel through long strands of glass or plastic (optical fibers) without significant loss of energy. Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Optical fibers operate based on Total Internal Reflection (TIR).
When light travels from a denser medium (core) to a rarer medium (cladding) at an angle of incidence greater than the critical angle, the light is reflected back entirely into the denser medium.
This process repeats thousands of times along the length of the fiber, guiding the light signal from one end to the other.
Conditions for TIR:
1. The light must travel from a medium of higher refractive index to a lower refractive index.
2. The angle of incidence must exceed the critical angle of the interface. Step 3: Final Answer:
The working principle is Total Internal Reflection.
Was this answer helpful?
0
Top Questions on Ray optics and optical instruments