What kind of signal degradation can occur in optical fibers?

Optical fibers can experience various forms of signal degradation, including attenuation, scattering, and dispersion.

Attenuation refers to the loss of signal strength as light travels through the fiber. This can result from absorption by the fibers’ material and other factors that can diminish the intensity of the light signal.

Scattering is another significant factor where light is dispersed in different directions as it interacts with imperfections in the fiber or with the material itself, leading to a weaker signal being detected at the end of the fiber.

Lastly, dispersion causes different signals to travel at different speeds, which can lead to pulse broadening. This phenomenon is particularly important in high-speed communication systems since it can cause overlapping of signals, ultimately degrading the quality of the transmitted information.

Together, these factors illustrate why the statement identifying attenuation, scattering, and dispersion as causes of signal degradation in optical fibers is accurate.