An optical attenuator is a device used to reduce the power level of an optical signal, either in free space or in an optical fiber. They are commonly used in fiber optic communications.
Optical attenuators used in fiber optic communications systems may use a variety of principles for their functioning. Those using the gap loss principle are sensitive to the modal distribution ahead of the attenuator, and should be used at or near the transmitting end, or they may introduce less loss than intended. Optical attenuators using absorptive or reflective techniques avoid this problem.
The basic types of optical attenuators are fixed, step-wise variable, and continuously variable.
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References
This article incorporates public domain material from the General Services Administration document "Federal Standard 1037C".
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