Glossary of fiber optic terms

This is a glossary of fiber optic terms, derived from the Glossary of Telecommunication Terms published as Federal Standard 1037C. Please see the Federal Standard article for copyright-related issues, as not all parts of the source document are in the public domain.

acceptance angle -- acceptance cone -- aligned bundle[?] -- all-silica fiber -- angle of incidence -- angle of refraction -- aramid yarn[?] -- armor -- axial propagation constant[?] -- bandwidth-distance product[?] -- bound mode[?] -- braid -- break out[?] -- breakout cable[?] -- buffer -- bundle[?] -- cable -- cable cutoff wavelength[?] (cc) -- cladding -- cladding diameter[?] -- cladding mode -- cladding mode stripper[?] -- cleave -- concentricity error -- core -- core area[?] -- core diameter[?] -- coupled modes[?] -- coupling efficiency[?] -- critical angle -- cutback technique -- cutoff mode[?] -- cutoff wavelength -- deeply depressed cladding fiber[?] -- dielectric waveguide -- differential quantum efficiency[?] -- dispersion -- dispersion-shifted fiber[?] -- dispersion-unshifted fiber[?] -- dopant -- doubly clad fiber -- duplex cable[?] -- effective mode volume -- electrical length -- end finish[?] -- equilibrium length -- equilibrium mode distribution[?] (EMD) -- equilibrium mode simulator[?] -- evanescent field[?] -- evanescent mode[?] -- extrinsic joint loss[?] -- fiber amplifier -- fiber optic cable -- fiber optic link[?] -- fiber optics (FO) -- first window[?] -- flooding compound[?] -- fundamental mode[?] -- fusion splice[?] -- gap loss[?] -- gap-loss attenuator[?] -- gel -- glass -- graded-index fiber -- graded-index profile[?] -- group delay -- group index[?] -- group velocity -- guided ray -- hockey puck -- homogeneous cladding[?] -- hybrid cable[?] -- hybrid mode[?] -- hydroxyl ion absorption -- inclusion[?] -- index dip[?] -- index-matching material -- insertion loss -- intensity modulation (IM) -- intramodal distortion[?] -- intrinsic joint loss[?] -- joint -- lateral offset loss[?] -- launch angle -- launching fiber[?] -- launch numerical aperture (LNA) -- lay length[?] -- leaky mode -- leaky ray -- long wavelength[?] -- macrobend[?] -- macrobend loss[?] -- mandrel wrapping -- material dispersion coefficient [M()] -- material scattering -- mechanical splice[?] -- meridional ray[?] -- microbend[?] -- minimum bend radius -- minimum-dispersion window[?] -- minimum-loss window[?] -- modal distribution[?] -- modal loss[?] -- modal noise[?] -- mode -- mode coupling[?] -- mode field diameter (MFD) -- mode partition noise -- mode scrambler -- mode volume -- multifiber cable[?] -- multifiber joint[?] -- multimode distortion[?] -- multimode optical fiber -- near-field region -- near-field scanning[?] -- nonlinear scattering[?] -- numerical aperture loss[?] -- numerical aperture (NA ) -- OFC[?] -- OFN[?] -- OFNP[?] -- OFNR -- open waveguide[?] -- optical connector[?] -- optical fiber -- optical isolator -- optical junction[?] -- ovality -- overfill -- parabolic profile[?] -- PCS fiber -- phase term[?] -- pigtail[?] -- plastic-clad silica fiber -- polarization-maintaining optical fiber (PM) -- power-law index profile -- precision-sleeve splicing[?] -- primary coating[?] -- profile parameter[?] (g ) -- quadruply clad fiber -- radiation angle -- radiation-hardened fiber[?] -- radiation mode -- radiation pattern -- reference surface -- reflection loss -- refracted ray -- refractive index contrast -- refractive index (n, ) -- refractive index profile[?] -- ribbon cable -- rip cord[?] -- scattering center[?] -- second window[?] -- short wavelength[?] -- silica -- single-mode optical fiber -- skew ray[?] -- slab-dielectric waveguide[?] -- soliton -- SONET -- spectral loss curve[?] -- splice loss[?] -- splice organizer[?] -- star coupler -- step-index fiber[?] -- step-index profile -- strength member[?] -- substitution method -- surface wave -- tap -- tapered fiber[?] -- T-coupler[?] -- terminus -- thin-film optical waveguide[?] -- third window[?] -- tolerance field[?] -- transmitter central wavelength range[?] (max- min) -- transverse electric and magnetic mode[?] (TEM) -- transverse electric mode[?] (TE) -- transverse magnetic mode[?] (TM) -- traveling wave[?] -- vertex angle[?] -- waveguide -- weakly guiding fiber[?] -- window -- zero-dispersion slope -- zero-dispersion wavelength -- zip-cord