Want to Be an Optics Engineer? Start Here.
To become a strong Optics Engineer, you need to understand one critical area: fiber impairments.
These include:
- Attenuation
- Dispersion
- Four-Wave Mixing
- Non-linear effects
Let’s break down attenuation, one of the most fundamental impairments:
Attenuation is the loss of signal power as light travels through the fiber. It happens due to:
- Absorption
- Scattering
- Bending losses
- Connector/splice imperfections
It’s measured in dB, and the attenuation coefficient in dB/km.
This coefficient varies by cable type and wavelength.
For instance, a typical single-mode fiber operating in the 1550 nm (C-band) might have an attenuation of 0.2 dB/km.
Want to know what to study for optics interviews?
Check this post with 13 essential topics: 
𝗧𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 | Mohamed Saeed