| Absorption |
The absorbing of light energy and conversion to heat, caused by impurities in the glass |
| Acceptance Angle |
The largest angle where the fiber core can accept incoming light, and usually measured from the fiber axis |
| Access Network |
A component within a wider telecommunication network that connects individuals and business users |
| Adapter |
A mechanical device used to align and join fiber optic connectors |
| Adapter Sleeve |
A mechanical fixture contained in an adapter that aligns and holds the terminated fiber connectors; also known as a split sleeve |
| Aerial Plant |
Cables that is suspended in the air on telephone and utility poles |
| Angled Physical Contact (APC) |
A style of fiber optic ferrule polishing with a 5-15 angle on the ferrule tip for the purpose of minimizing backreflection |
| Angular Misalignment |
The angle misalignment of fiber optic connectors, and causes attenuation |
| Aramid Yarn |
A type of yarn inside a fiber optic cable that provides support, protection and tensile strength |
| Armor |
A metallic protective layer inside a fiber optic cable that provides extra protection of the fiber |
| Armored Cable |
A type of fiber optic cable that includes armor |
| Attenuation |
The reduction of optical power between two points and normally expressed in decibels (dB) |
| Attenuation Coefficient |
The attenuation with respect to a specific unit length, usually decibels per kilometer (db/km) |
| Attenuation Meter |
A device used to measure attenuation in fiber optic cables, connectors, and systems |
| Attenuator |
A passive device that reduces the amplitude of a light signal |
| Average Power |
The average power signal over a period of time |
| Axis |
The center of an optical fiber |
| Backbone |
A main portion of a telecommunication network that connects relatively distant points or regions |
| Backbone Cabling |
The cabling in inter- and intra-buildings that connects entrance facilities, equipment rooms and telecommunication closets |
| Backreflection |
Light that is reflected and travels back to the origin source; also known as return loss |
| Backscattering |
Scattering of light and heads in the direction of the original source |
| Bandwidth |
The capacity of an optical fiber in terms of its ability to carry information, and measured in megahertz per kilometer (MHz-km) or gigahertz per kilometer (GHz-km) |
| Bend Radius |
The maximum radius from bending a fiber without significant attenuation or breakage of the fiber |
| Bending Loss |
The attenuation or loss in an optical fiber caused by bending |
| Bragg Scattering |
Scattering of light that is caused by changes in the refractive index of a material |
| Breakout |
Separation of individual fibers or buffer tubes in a fiber optic cable for the purpose of splicing or installing fiber optic connectors |
| Breakout Cable |
A type of fiber optic cable that contains fibers with individual jackets and then all individual jackets surrounded by one common cable jacket |
| Buffer |
The protective layer inside a fiber optic cable that surrounds the fiber cladding that provides protection and mechanical isolation; also known as buffer tubes, buffer coating or coating |
| Bundle |
A group of individual fibers assembled in an unit |
| Cable |
An assembly of optical fibers along with other materials for protecting the fiber, enclosed for protective covering |
| Cable Assembly |
The assembling of fiber optic connectors into fiber optic cables, either in the form of patch cords (connectors on both ends) or pigtails (connector on one end) |
| Central Member |
The center component of a fiber optic cable that can serve as a strength member and therefore also known as central strength member |
| Channel |
A communications path |
| Channel Spacing |
The allocation of bandwidth to channels |
| Chromatic Dispersion |
Dispersion caused by different wavelengths in the light signal travelling at different speeds, expressed in picoseconds per kilometer per nanometer, and the sum of material and waveguide dispersion |
| Cladding |
A layer of glass surround the fiber core in a fiber optic cable, and together with the fiber core make up an optical waveguide |
| Cleave |
A process in fiber optic cable assembly that separating an optical fiber by a controlled fracture of the glass, for the purpose of obtaining a fiber end that is flat, smooth, and perpendicular to the fiber axis |
| Cleaver |
A precision tool that breaks the fiber to produce a flat end for polishing or splicing |
| Composite Cable |
A cable consisting of both fiber and copper; also known as hybrid cable |
| Concentricity |
The measurement of how centered the core is within the cladding |
| Conduit |
Pipes or tubes where fiber optic cables can be pulled or housed |
| Connector |
A mechanical device mounted on an end of a fiber optic cable for the purpose of attaching and decoupling the fiber to another source |
| Connectorization |
The preparation of an end of a fiber and connector assembling; also referred as termination |
| Containerized Data Center |
Data center that is housed in a shipping container, opposed to a building |
| Core |
The center of the optical fiber that transmit light |
| Coupler |
A device that combines light into one fiber or splits light into more than one fiber |
| Coupling |
The transfer of light into or out of an optical fiber |
| Crimper |
A tool that crimps a fiber optic connector to the fibers in the cable to provide additional mechanical strength |
| Critical Angle |
The smallest angle of light ray with respect to the normal that can guide light path |
| Cross-connect |
A facility enabling the termination of cables as well as their interconnection or cross-connection with other cabling or equipment. Also known as a distributor |
| Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) |
Telecommunications equipment located inside customer's premises |
| Cutoff Wavelength |
The wavelength beyond which singlemode fiber only supports one mode of propagation |
| Decibel (dB) |
A measuring unit used to measure optical power |
| Dielectric |
A material such as fiber that is non-metallic and non-conductive |
| Dispersion |
The spreading of light pulses as it travels along the fiber |
| Dispersion Compensation |
The reduction of dispersion in a fiber |
| Ducting |
A conduit for placing and protecting fiber optic cables |
| Duplex Cable |
A type of cable construction where two cables are attached to form one cable |
| Eccentricity |
A measurement of the amount by which the core is not placed centrally in the cladding |
| Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) |
The interference of signal transmission because of radiation; optical fibers are not susceptible to electromagnetic interferences |
| Enclosure |
A cabinet for enclosing cable terminations and splices |
| End Finish |
The quality of the end surface of a fiber that is needed for splicing or terminating a connector |
| Entrance Facility |
The part in a building which serves as an entrance for network cables |
| Epoxy |
A thermosetting resin used in fiber optic cable assemblies to secure the fiber with the connector ferrule |
| Equipment Room |
The centralized room that houses telecommunications equipment in a building |
| ESCON |
An IBM standard for connecting peripherals to a computer over fiber optics |
| Extrinsic Loss |
Attenuation caused by an external source extrinsic to an optical transmission system |
| Fanout |
A breakout style multifiber cable designed for ease of connectorization for intra or interbuilding requirements |
| Ferrule |
The alignment tube that is attached to the ends of a fiber optic connector, and are generally made of zirconia, alumina, or plastic |
| Fiber |
A thin filament of glass or plastic that consists of a core and a cladding |
| Fiber Optics |
The use of fiber to guide light transmission for communications or lighting |
| Fiber Stripper |
A tool that is used to remove the buffer coating of a fiber optic cable |
| Fiber Tracer |
An instrument that traces fiber connections and allows for visual checking of continuity |
| Frequency |
The number of cycles per a unit of time, where 1 hertz equals I cycle per second |
| Fresnel Reflection |
Light reflection that occurs from the surface when there is a sudden change in the refractive index as at the end of a fiber |
| Fusion Splice |
A splicing technique that permanently joins the fiber ends by applying heat to fuse or melt the ends together, forming a continuous single fiber |
| Fusion Splicer |
An instrument that performs fusion splice |
| Gigahertz (GHz) |
A unit of frequency that equals one billion cycles per second |
| Graded Index Fiber |
A fiber where the characteristics of the center of the fiber core has the highest refractive index, and decreases towards the cladding |
| Hertz (Hz) |
A unit of frequency that equals one cycle per second |
| Horizontal Cabling |
The portion of cabling that connect the floor distributor to the work area telecommunications outlets |
| Index Matching Fluid |
A fluid with a refractive index close to glass for reducing reflections caused by refractive-index differences of materials |
| Index of Refraction |
A measure of the speed of light and is a ratio of the speed of light in a material compared to its speed in free space; also referred as the refractive index |
| Injection Loss |
Attenuation caused by the insertion of a component such as a fiber optic connector or splice; also known as insertion loss |
| Insertion Loss |
Attenuation caused by the insertion of a component such as a fiber optic connector or splice; also known as injection loss |
| Interbuilding Backbone |
The backbone cabling between buildings |
| Intrabuilding Backbone |
The backbone cabling within a building |
| Intrinsic Loss |
Attenuation caused within the fiber |
| Jacket |
The outer layer protective coating of a fiber optic cable |
| Jacket Stripper |
A cutter for stripping cable jackets |
| Jumper |
A fiber optic cable that is connectorized at both ends of the cables; also known as a patch cord |
| Kevlar |
A trademark of aramid yarn used inside fiber optic cables for support, protection, and tensile strength |
| Keying |
The mechanical feature of a connector system which guarantees correct orientation of a connection or prevents the connection to a jack or optical fiber adapter of the same type intended for another purpose |
| Lapping Film |
Film that is used to polish the end of the connector ferrules; also referred as polishing paper or polishing film |
| Laser |
An acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation, which is a device that products high-intensity, directional, monochromatic beam of light |
| Laser Diode |
A laser made of semiconductor materials used to transmit light into optical fibers |
| Light Emitting Diode (LED) |
A semiconductor device that produces light with a wide range of wavelengths in response to an electrical signal |
| Local Area Network (LAN) |
A communications network in small physical areas, such as a building or a group of buildings |
| Loose Tube Cable |
A fiber optic cable design where protective tubes surrounds optical fibers within the outer cable jacket |
| Loss Budget |
A budget of the total losses (attenuation) acceptable in a fiber optic system |
| Low Smoke Zero Halogen (LSZH) |
A cable jacket rating that has features of limited smoke and no halogens when exposed to heat |
| Macrobend |
The bending of a fiber optic cable that could be visually seen by the human eye |
| Main Cross-connect (MC) |
A cross-connect for fist level backbone cables, entrance cables, and equipment cables |
| Mechanical Splice |
The joining of optical fibers via mechanical methods, rather than via fusion splicing |
| Megahertz (MHz) |
A unit of frequency that equals one million cycles per second |
| Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) |
A communications network, larger than a LAN, may consists of several LANs and extend to the size of a metropolitan area |
| Micro |
A prefix for a millionth |
| Microbend |
The small, microscopic bend of a fiber optic cable caused during the manufacturing process |
| Micrometer (μm) |
A unit of distance that equals one millionth of a meter; also referred as a micron |
| Micron (μm) |
A unit of distance that equals one millionth of a meter; also referred as a micrometer |
| Microscope |
A device used to inspect the end surface of a connector |
| Modal Dispersion |
A type of dispersion in multimode fibers where light pulses spread along the length of a fiber |
| Mode |
Light transmission paths in a fiber where the number of modes is determined by the numerical aperture and the core diameter; two broad types are singlemode and multimode |
| Mode Field Diameter (MFD) |
The diameter of one mode of light in singlemode fiber |
| Monomode Fiber |
A type of fiber that transmit light in one single mode, and has a smaller fiber core than multimode fiber; also referred as singlemode fiber |
| Multi-Fiber Cable |
A fiber optic cable that contains more than one fiber |
| Multimode Fiber (MMF) |
A type of fiber that transmit lights with more than one mode, and has a bigger fiber core than singlemode fiber |
| Multiplexing |
The transmission of different signals in a single fiber |
| Nanometer (nm) |
A unit of one billionth of a meter |
| National Electrical Code (NEC) |
A US standard for flammability of cable and wiring in buildings |
| Node |
A connection point, either a redistribution point or an end point for data transmissions. In general, a node has programmed or engineered capability to recognize, process, and forward transmissions to other nodes. |
| Numerical Aperture (NA) |
A measure that expresses the light gathering ability of a fiber |
| Optical Fiber |
A thin filament of glass or plastic that consists of a core and a cladding |
| Optical Fiber Non-conductive Plenum (OFNP) |
A cable jacket rating that is non-conductive and used in plenum applications; they have the highest fire retardant rating compared to OFNR and LSZH |
| Optical Fiber Non-conductive Riser (OFNR) |
A cable jacket rating that is suitable for use in riser applications and they are engineered to prevent fire from spreading from floor to floor within buildings |
| Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) |
An instrument that measures the transmission characteristics of optical fiber by sending a series of short pulses of light down the fiber and providing a graphic representation of the backscattered light |
| Outlets |
The sockets provided in the work location of a structured cabling system |
| Overfilled Launch |
A condition for launching light into the fiber where the incoming light has a spot size and numerical aperture larger than accepted by the fiber, filling all modes in the fiber |
| Passive Optical Network (PON) |
A point-to-multipoint optical communications network |
| Patch Cord |
A fiber optic cable that is connectorized at both ends of the cables; also known as a jumper |
| Patch Panel |
A hardware that connects backbone cabling to an arrangement of connectors to form cross-connections and interconnections |
| Physical Contact (PC) |
A style of fiber optic ferrule polishing where the fiber is polished to a smooth curve and the adjoining fibers comes into physical contact with no air gaps |
| Pigtail |
A fiber optic cable that is connectorized at one end only |
| Plenum |
The air handling space of a building, such as in raised floors or drop-ceiling tiles |
| Point-to-Point (P2P) |
A direct communications connection between two specific locations |
| Polarization |
The alignment of the perpendicular electrical and magnetic fields that make up a lightwave |
| Polyethylene (PE) |
A plastic material found in the jackets of outside plant fiber optic cables |
| Polyvinyl-Chloride (PVC) |
A plastic material found in the jackets of flame retardant fiber optic cables, ideally deployed in indoor applications |
| Polyvinyldifluoride (PVDF) |
A material found in the jacket of optical fiber non-conductive plenum (OFNP) cables |
| Preform |
A large diameter glass rod where the fiber is constructed |
| Raceway |
Any distribution method designed for holding cables (i.e. conduit, metal or plastic trunking, cable trays, etc.) |
| Rayleigh Scatter |
The scattering of light by particles smaller than the wavelength of the light |
| Refractive Index |
A measure of the speed of light and is a ratio of the speed of light in a material compared to its speed in free space; also referred as the index of refraction |
| Repeater |
A device used to regenerate an optical signal to prevent attenuation and used in long-distance fiber optic links |
| Return Loss |
Light that is reflected and travels back to the origin source; also known as backreflection |
| Riser |
The cable paths between floors in a building |
| Scattering |
A glass property that causes light to deflect from the fiber and contribute to intrinsic attenuation |
| Server |
A computer in a network that provides different services to client computers in the same network |
| Simplex cable |
A type of cable construction that consists of a single fiber core |
| Signal to Noise Ratio |
The ratio of signal level to background noise, measured in decibels |
| Singlemode Fiber (SMF) |
A type of fiber that transmit light in one single mode, and has a smaller fiber core than multimode fiber; also referred as monomode fiber |
| Splice |
A method of joining two optical fiber ends |
| Splice Closure |
A closure container used to hold and protect splice trays |
| Splice Trays |
A hardware container used to manage, hold and protect spliced fibers |
| Split Sleeve |
A mechanical fixture contained in an adapter that aligns and holds the terminated fiber connectors; also known as an adapter sleeve |
| Splitter |
A device that takes signal from one fiber and splits it into several other fibers |
| Step Index Fiber |
A fiber with a refractive index that changes abruptly between the core and the cladding |
| Strength Member |
Part of a fiber optic cable that provides extra protection and tensile strength, and may consist of steel strands and aramid yarn |
| Storage Area Network (SAN) |
A high speed network or subnetwork of shared storage devices |
| Telecommunications Closet |
A closet for housing telecommunications equipment, cables and cross-connects |
| Termination |
The preparation of an end of a fiber and connector assembling; also referred as connectorization |
| Tight Buffered Cable |
A type of fiber optic cable where each fiber is tightly buffered by a 900-micron coating for easy handling and connectorization |
| Topology |
The layout of a communications network |
| Total Internal Reflection (TIR) |
Reflection of light as it travels and approaches materials of different refractive indices at an angle greater than the critical angle |
| Transmitter |
A device that acts as both a receiver and transceiver |
| Trunk cable |
Any fiber optic cable that is capable of supporting multiple users or devices from one point to another |
| Tunable Laser |
A laser that can change its frequency over a given range |
| Waveguide Dispersion |
Dispersion caused by light travelling at different speeds in singlemode fibers |
| Wavelength |
The distance an electromagnetic wave travels during the time it takes to oscillate through one complete cycle, and measured in nanometers (nm) |
| Wide Area Network (WAN) |
A large communications network similar to a smaller local area network (LAN) |
| Zero-Dispersion Wavelength |
Wavelength with minimum chromatic dispersion of a singlemode optical fiber |
