Light absorption due to higher harmonics of molecular vibrations in transparent amorphous polymers for plastic optical fibers

We have studied simple empirical equations to estimate light absorption loss αv due to harmonics of molecular vibrations of transparent amorphous polymers used in plastic optical fibers (POFs). In the visible region, absorption involves two losses. One is αv, and the other is the electronic transition absorption loss, αe. Of the two, αv is considerably larger than αe in the wavelength region used for optical communication with POFs. We have clarified relationships between chemical structure of repeat units of polymers and αv. We find that αv is proportional to the concentration of specific chemical bonds (CH, NH, and Obond;H bonds) in the polymer solid, and we propose empirical equations to estimate αv from the polymer density and the chemical structure of the repeat unit. These equations are used to estimate αv of several polymers [i.e., poly(methyl methacrylate), polystyrene, and polycarbonate]. The estimated values are nearly equal to the experimental or reference values. Furthermore, to minimize the attenuation in the POF, we conclude that the POF core polymer should have no NH, OH, or aliphatic CH bonds in its repeat unit.