Structures, parameters, and transmission properties of optical fibers

Signal-transmission characteristics of optical-fiber waveguides are determined largely by their structural geometries, physical parameters, and materials properties. This paper reviews these factors and discusses the roles they play in determining loss and bandwidth in both single-mode and multimode fibers. Effects of polarization and of waveguide perturbations are included, and recent work on tailoring the bandwidth spectrum of single-mode fibers is presented.