Understanding Fiber Optics

by Jeff Hecht

Publisher: Prentice Hall
ISBN: 0131174290

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Book Description

Ideal for technicians, entry-level engineers, and other nonspecialists, this practical, thorough, and accessible introduction to fiber optics reflects the expertise of an author who has followed the field for over 20 years.

Using a non-theoretical/mathematical, and well-illustrated approach, it begins with the technical details of optical fibers, moves through the tools and techniques used to work with them, the devices used to connect fiber network, and concludes with applications showing how fibers are used.

This book is thorough, up to date, and provides comprehensive and intuitive introduction to fiber optics. With mathematics limited to basic algebra, the book takes a practical approach to understanding fiber optics. It thoroughly describes important concepts for the novice, building up an understanding of optical fibers, their properties, light sources and detectors, and fiber-optic components and their application in fiber-optic systems. It covers the basics of fiber-optic measurement and troubleshooting. Ideal for technicians, entry-level engineers, and other nonspecialists.

Covers:

• Fundamentals of Fiber Optics
• Applications of Fiber Optics
• Types of Fibers
• Cabling
• Light Sources
• Transmitters
• Receivers
• Repeaters, Regenerators, and Optical Amplifiers
• Connectors
• Splicing
• Couplers and Switches
• Other Components, Tools, and Accessories
• Measurements
• System Concepts
• System Design
• Long-Distance Telecommunication Applications
• Regional and Local Telephone Systems
• Video Transmission
• Computers and Local Area Networks
• Mobile and Military Fiber Communications
• Fiber-Optic Sensors
• Noncommunication Fiber Optics and Laser Safety

About the Author

Jeff Hecht is a contributing editor to Laser Focus World and Integrated Communications Design, and a correspondent for New Scientist magazine. He is the author of Understanding Fiber Optics, City of Light: The Story of Fiber Optics, Understanding Lasers, The Laser Guidebook, Beam Weapons: The Next Arms Race, and several other books. He has been writing about lasers, optics, and fiber optics for over 25 years. He holds a B.S. in electronic engineering from the California Institute of Technology.

Customer Reviews

hi guys! You really want a juicy piece of the Fiber Optic world? well this is the book you were craving for... This is an outstanding book that guides you through the basic, fundamental and still practical knowledge of Fiber Optics... I highly recommend this book if you are to implement fiber optic systems... this book shows us when, how and why we must implement fiber... nice job Jeff!

As someone who works in the financial field that had to get up to speed on fiber optics, I purchased this book, "Introduction to Fiber Optics" by Crisp, and "Fiber Optic Reference Guide" by Goff. This was definitely the most technically oriented of the three, but it did have good detail for the areas where the other two books weren't thorough enough. This text is definitely more for targeted research as a reference book, and not what you should get if you want to sit down and read up on the subject.

There were a lot of areas where the added depth provided by this book were helpful, but it certainly has the feel of a book more oriented towards academia and professional engineers.