Optical Communications Rules of Thumb

John's experience includes leading efforts on telecom optical performance monitors, laser communication systems, surveillance systems, cameras, laser imaging systems, fiber optics, environmental and weather monitoring sensors, and image processing. John was the technical lead for FLIR Systems' telecom endeavors. John and his wife, Corinne Foster, split their time between Lake Oswego and Bend Oregon.

Ed Friedman earned a B.S. in Physics at the University of Maryland in 1966 and a Ph.D. in cryogenic physics from Wayne State University in 1972. He started his career in the field of ocean optics and subsequently developed system concepts for remote sensing of the atmosphere and climate. After completing studies related to the design of spacecraft and instruments for the measurement of the radiation balance of the Earth, he was appointed a visiting scientist in the climate program at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. Subsequent employers included The Mitre Corporation, Martin Marietta, Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corporation, and the Boeing Company, where he serves as a Technical Fellow in the Lasers and Electro-Optics Division.

In the last eight years, he has concentrated on the development of mission concepts and technologies for astrophysics and space science. While at Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corporation, he was Chief Technologist of the Civil Space business unit. Recent areas of interest include the use of space-based interferometers to create detailed maps of stellar positions and the use of coronagraphic methods for detection of planets in distant solar systems. He and his Ph.D. student were recently awarded a patent for a novel method of alignment and phasing of large, deployed Earth-viewing optics. He has been a patent reviewer for the journal Applied Optics and an editor for the journal Optical Engineering. He recently retired after ten seasons as a member of the National Ski Patrol. He and his wife Judith live in the mountains west of Boulder, Colorado.

Chapter 1: Cables and Conduits

Chapter 2: Economic Considerations

Chapter 3: Electronics and MEMS

Chapter 4: Fiber Mechanical Considerations

Chapter 5: Free-Space Optical Communications

Chapter 6: Network Considerations

Chapter 7: Network Elements

Chapter 8: Noise

Chapter 9: Optical Fibers

Chapter 10: Optical Signal Degradation

Chapter 11: Optics

Chapter 12: Splicing and Connectors

Chapter 13: Laser Transmitters

Chapter 14: Wavelength Selection

Appendix A

Glossary

Index

About the Authors

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