Seeing the light through fiber optics
Martin Rowe, Senior Technical Editor -- Test & Measurement World, 5/1/2003
Optoelectronics and Fiber Optic Technology,
by Ray Tricker. Newnes, Woburn, MA (www.newnespress.com), 2002. ISBN 0-7506-5370-1. 319 pages. Price: $29.99.
If you need a primer in fiber optics, this book is for you. Optoelectronics and Fiber Optic Technology gives a fine introduction to the topic, explaining the theoretical and the practical aspects of fiber optics in terms you can quickly absorb. And for those who like putting technology in perspective, Ray Tricker opens the book with an interesting history of glass, fibers, and signaling over the last 3000 years.
From this book, you'll learn how and why fiber dominates the communications industry. For example, you'll learn how light travels through glass fibers, why the angle that light enters a cable affects signal strength, and how fiber manufacturers construct fibers for optimal performance. You'll also learn how communications carriers use fiber in networks and how engineers test the fiber.
Using numerous, easy-to-understand diagrams, Tricker gives you an overview of the physics behind fiber-optic cables, light sources, and photodetectors. He accomplishes the task on a conceptual level without resorting to equations. If you want more specific information, though, you're on your own because Tricker doesn't provide a bibliography.
To build a fiber-optic communications system, you need connectors and test equipment in addition to fiber cables, transmitters, and receivers. Tricker extensively covers connectors through examples of how connectors work, how they're made, and how they can fail. The chapter covering test equipment highlights the types of test equipment used for testing fiber-optic cables and installations, but it's weak in explaining the measurements and how to interpret them.
Tricker gives you a good overview of fiber optics, and he wraps up the book with useful appendixes that cover technical terms and fiber-optic standards. At $29.99, the price is more reasonable than that of most technical books, and it is a fair price to pay for this introduction to a complex technology.
