Empirical estimation method of intrinsic loss spectra in transparent amorphous polymers for plastic optical fibers

We have developed a novel simulation to estimate the intrinsic loss spectrum of a plastic optical fiber (POF) having a transparent amorphous polymer as its core. Loss for POF is divided into four elements, that is, α e , α v , α R , and α j Here, α e means the electronic transition absorption loss, α v the absorption loss due to harmonics of molecular vibrations, and α R Rayleigh scattering loss. These three losses cause attenuation loss intrinsically and determine the lower limit of loss in the POF. The α i is the extrinsic loss due to fabrication process and contaminating dust, etc., and as such can be decreased to a negligible amount. We clarified the relationship between the chemical structure of polymer repeating unit and the three intrinsic losses and derived empirical equations to estimate the losses. The spectra estimated by this simulation agreed well with experimental ones.