Scattering in step-index polymer optical fibers by side-illumination technique: theory and application

In this paper we present a detailed theoretical study that describes the generation of scattered light in step-index polymer optical fibers by using the side-illumination scattering measurement technique. A detailed analysis of the variation of the maximum angle of acceptance within the fiber has been carried out in order to calculate the scattered light as a function of different launching conditions. The theoretical model has been developed by using the Mie theory for spheres in the independent-scatterer approximation.