Glossary
Title OTDR and Fiber Characterization

Glossary based in part on that of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), available at http://std.iec.ch/glossary.

attenuation coefficient

Fiber attenuation per unit length, usually expressed in dB · m^–1.

loss balance sheet (or liaison balance sheet); loss budget

Sum of the fiber optic section loss and penalties (in dB), at the start of the link's existence. The final balance is the sum of the initial balance and the reserve margin (in dB).

backscatter coefficient

For a given pulse, the ratio between the backscattered power at the fiber input and the input pulse power. This corresponds to the backscatter parameter for a given pulse width (usually 1 ns).

Rayleigh scattering; diffusion de Rayleigh

Scattering of radiation by material heterogeneities...