POLYMER FIBER OPTICS

Polymer optical fibers are replacing conventional silica fibers in many short-range applications where flexibility and ease of termination are important concerns. Because polymers are more flexible than glass, these fibers are more pliable than their silica cousins. Part of the “Optical Science and Engineering” series, the 399-page volume Polymer Fiber Optics: Materials, Physics, and Applications begins with a history of the fibers, then examines the fundamental physics of light propagation in a fiber waveguide. Fabrication techniques, including extrusion and the process of drawing fiber from a preform, are discussed. Sections address optical switching, fiber characterization and specialty fibers, including fiber Bragg gratings, photonic crystal fibers and fiber sensors. Mark G. Kuzyk; CRC Press/Taylor & Francis Group, Boca Raton, Fla., 2006; $149.95.