ECE 60431 - Fiber Optic Communications
Note:
This course runs the last five weeks of the semester and is offered through edX.
Course Details
Lecture Hours: 3 Credits: 1
Counts as:
Normally Offered:
Each Spring
Campus/Online:
On-campus and online
Requisites:
ECE 60400 [may be taken together]; Graduate standing
Requisites by Topic:
Electromagnetic Field Theory
Catalog Description:
This course will aim to introduce students to the fundamentals of fiber optic communications, which constitute the backbone of the internet. The course will start with a refresher on the operation of key components needed for an effective fiber optic communication system, and then show how these components interact at a system level. Finally, the course will conclude with outlook for future research in extending the capabilities of these networks to higher bandwidths and quantum-secured communications.
Required Text(s):
- Fiber-optic Communication Systems , 4th Edition , Govind P. Agrawal , John Wiley & Sons, New York , 2010 , ISBN No. 0470505117
Recommended Text(s):
None.
Lecture Outline:
| Week | Major Topics |
|---|---|
| 1 | Optical fibers: wave propagation, dispersion, and loss |
| 2 | Optical transmitters and receivers: materials, sources, modulation, speed limitations |
| 3 | Fundamental concepts in optical communication networks: power, noise, and speed |
| 4 | Current optical communication network architectures: TDM, DWDM, QPSK, QAM |
| 5 | Future optical networks: fiber-to-the-home, data centers, quantum key distribution |
Assessment Method:
Quizzes and Exams