Optical Fibres

• A monomode fibre is a fibre with a diameter equal to a few wavelengths
• A multimode fibre is a fibre with a large diameter
• Monomode fibres only allow light to travel along one path
• Multimode fibres allow light to travel several different paths
• In a monomode fibre, light travels parallel to the axis
• In a multimode fibre, light travels in a zig zag
• Cladding prevents the core from getting scratched
• Cladding allows for TIR, keeping most rays within the core
• Cladding provides tensile strength to the core
• Multimode fibres are unsuitable for long distances as light arrives at different times, causing data to be smeared
• There is no dispersion in a monomode fibre, so no data loss occurs