Appendix B
Acronyms
Each scientific field has its own jargon, and the field of optical communications is not
an exception. Although an attempt was made to avoid extensive use of acronyms, many
still appear throughout the book. Each acronym is defined the first time it appears in a
chapter so that the reader does not have to search the entire text to find its meaning. As
a further help, we list all acronyms here, in alphabetical order.
ac alternating current
AM amplitude modulation
AON all-optical network
APD avalanche photodiode
ASE amplified spontaneous emission
ASK amplitude-shift keying
ATM asynchronous transfer mode
AWG arrayed-waveguide grating
BER bit-error rate
BH buried heterostructure
BPF bandpass filter
CATV common-antenna (cable) television
CDM code-division multiplexing
CDMA code-division multiple access
CNR carrier-to-noise ratio
CPFSK continuous-phase frequency-shift keying
CRZ chirped return-to-zero
CSMA carrier-sense multiple access
CSO composite second-order
CVD chemical vapor deposition
CW continuous wave
CTB composite triple beat
DBR distributed Bragg reflector
dc direct current
DCF dispersion-compensating fiber