The maximum acceptance angle for a fiber: This angle is the largest angle of incidence at which light can enter the end of the fiber and be totally internally reflected inside the fiber. Angles of incidence larger than this angle will transmit through the sides of the fiber and not make it to the other end. The equation for this angle is
The numerical aperture for a fiber: The numerical aperture is a measure of the light-gathering power of the fiber. It has a maximum value of 1 (all the light ** trapped inside the fiber) and a minimum value of 0 (only light incident at an angle of 0 degrees on the end of the fiber ** trapped in the fiber). Use this equation:
Intermodal dispersion in a fiber: This characteristic measures the difference in time that different fiber modes take to reach the end of the fiber. The larger this time difference, the shorter the fiber has to be so that the information on this light doesn’t turn into junk. Here’* the equation:
