Multimode fiber optic cables involve the transmission of light signals that bounce off the core's cladding as they travel down the fiber. This characteristic differentiates it from single-mode fiber, where the light travels directly down the fiber without reflecting off the cladding. Here are some detailed points about multimode fiber cables:
Construction: Multimode fibers have a larger core diameter, typically 50 or 62.5 microns, compared to single-mode fibers, which have a core diameter of about 9 microns.
Light Propagation: The larger core of multimode fiber allows multiple light modes to propagate.
These modes travel at different angles, leading to reflections off the core-cladding boundary.
Distance and Bandwidth: Due to modal dispersion, where different light modes arrive at the receiver at different times, multimode fibers are suited for shorter distance applications compared to single-mode fibers. Typical distances are up to 550 meters for 10 Gbps Ethernet using OM4 multimode fiber.
Applications: Multimode fibers are commonly used in LANs (Local Area Networks), data centers, and for shorter distance data transmission due to their cost-effectiveness and ease of installation.