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The thin vertical lines indicate the calculated cut-off wavelengths of the modes. Figure 1:įraction of the power of various guided modes (where the colors are related to the l indices of those) which is contained in the fiber core as a function of the wavelength. That effect is shown in Figure 1 for a multimode step-index fiber similar behavior occurs for fibers with other transverse refractive index profiles. Typically, the mode radius (and thus the effective mode area) increases sharply near the cut-off, and the fraction of power propagating within the waveguide core decreases accordingly. Just below the cut-off wavelength, the mode properties often vary substantially. When a particular mode ceases to exist beyond a certain wavelength, that wavelength is called its cut-off wavelength.įor an optical fiber, the cut-off wavelength for the LP 11 mode sets a limit to the single-mode regime, as below that wavelength there is at least the LP 01 and the LP 11 mode. The number of guided modes of a waveguide (for example, an optical fiber) depends on the optical wavelength: the shorter the wavelength, the more modes can be guided.įor long wavelengths, there may be only a single guided mode (→ single-mode fibers) or even none at all, whereas multimode behavior is obtained at shorter wavelengths.
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Cut off wavelength equation how to#
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Cut off wavelength equation software#
Encyclopedia > letter C > cut-off wavelength Cut-off WavelengthĬut-off wavelengths and other properties of guided modes can be calculated with our free fiber optics software RP Fiber Calculator.ĭefinition: a wavelength above which a guided mode of a waveguide ceases to exist
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