gamma factor
The gamma factor is a characteristic value that negatively influences signal transmissionvia optical fibers. Especially when longer transmission distances are involved. The gamma factor, which is caused by dispersion, widens the light pulses transmitted in the optical fiber.
Essentially, we are talking about mode dispersion, not so much material disp ersion or cladding dispersion. Mode dispersion has the effect of different signal propagation times and, consequently, pulse broadening.
From a certain pulse broadening on, the signal pulses run into each other and can no longer be separated. This means that the information is then lost. The limit is reached when the detectability of the pulses is 50% of the amplitude.
Dispersion effects are measured in nanoseconds per kilometer (ns/km) or in picoseconds per kilometer (ps/km), as an analog measure also as a bandwidth length product in MHz x km. The effect of these effects for very long optical fiber distances is such that the bandwidth decreases nonlinearly with distance. This effect can be calculated with the gamma factor.