Which type of optical fiber is typically associated with a graded index?

Graded index optical fibers are specifically designed to reduce modal dispersion by allowing light rays to travel more efficiently through the fiber. In graded index fibers, the refractive index of the core decreases gradually as one moves away from the center of the core to the cladding. This design helps to bend the light rays toward the center of the core, allowing them to travel more efficiently and arrive at the destination simultaneously, which enhances overall signal quality and bandwidth.

This type of fiber is predominantly used in multimode applications, making it suitable for short-distance data transmission. The multimode capability, along with the graded index design, is significant for networking scenarios where higher capacity and greater flexibility in bandwidth are needed.

In contrast, singlemode fibers have a different core structure that supports only one mode of light propagation, effectively minimizing modal dispersion but lacking the graded refractive index structure associated with multimode fibers. Plastic optical fiber is primarily used for short-distance applications and not typically categorized with graded index fibers. Fiber distributed data interface (FDDI) refers to standards for high-speed networking, but does not represent a type of optical fiber itself. Thus, the association of graded index with multimode fiber is solidly anchored in its engineering and performance characteristics.