Representations of optical fibre communications in three‐ and four‐dimensional spaces

Abstract

The authors study some electromagnetic field representations with a focus on optical communications, light polarisation and phase. Well-known three- and four-dimensional representations are compared with each other and with new ones that are presented and analysed from an analytical point of view. A symmetry emerges in the relationships between the various representations, showing that they are closely related formulas. In fact, different representations point out different characteristics or domains of the same phenomenon. This study results in a more accurate description of the electromagnetic field and especially in its capacity to carry information for telecommunications purposes. From a technological point of view, the partial orthogonality of the described spaces suggests the possibility of exploiting simultaneously more than one representation in order to carry more information or the possibility of using these representations as a natural codifying system with the aim of increasing reliability or confidentiality of communications.