What is fiber optic and the difference between single mode fiber and multimode fiber

Optical fiber is a communication medium used to transmit optical signals. It is composed of very thin Optical fiber. Fiber optic communication utilizes the propagation of optical signals within the fiber to achieve high-speed and long-distance data transmission.

Difference:

1. Single Mode Fiber (SMF):

•Small core size: The optical core size of single mode fiber is generally 9 microns（ μ m) Left and right, relatively thin.

•Transmission mode: Single mode optical fibers support one transmission mode, which allows only one optical signal to be transmitted along one path. This means that optical signals can only propagate along the center (axis) of the optical fiber.

•Transmission distance: Due to only one beam of optical signal transmission, dispersion and loss are reduced, so single-mode optical fibers can support longer transmission distances, usually in the range of tens to hundreds of kilometers.

• Main use: single-mode optical fiber is commonly used for long-distance high-speed transmission, such as Metropolitan area network, WAN, long-distance communication, etc.

2. Multi Mode Fiber (MMF):

•Large core size: The optical core size of multimode fibers is generally 50 or 62.5 microns（ μ m) Compared to thicker.

•Transmission mode: Multimode optical fibers support the simultaneous transmission of multiple optical signals along different paths, which means that optical signals can propagate along different angles.

•Transmission distance: Due to the dispersion and modal distortion caused by the transmission of multiple optical signals, multimode fibers are suitable for short distance transmission, usually within the range of hundreds to thousands of meters.

•Main use: Multimode fiber optic is commonly used for local area networks (LANs), internal communication in data centers, and high-speed data transmission over short distances.

Summary:

The main differences between single-mode fiber and multimode fiber lie in the size of the optical core, transmission mode, and transmission distance. Single mode fiber is suitable for long-distance high-speed transmission, while multimode fiber is suitable for short distance high-speed transmission. In practical applications, appropriate fiber types are selected according to needs to meet transmission requirements.