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Motivation
In our rapidly advancing world, communication speeds are increasing at a fast pace. Transceiver speeds have evolved from 100G
to 400G, 800G, and soon even 1.6T. Similarly, Optical systems are evolving to keep up with the pace. If we dig deeper, we will
discover that many concepts are shared across various domains, such as Wi-Fi, optical communications, transceivers, etc. Still,
without the necessary background, It’s not easy to identify the patterns. If we have the essential knowledge, it becomes easier to understand the developments happening in the respective areas, and we
can better understand the trade-offs made by the designers while designing a particular system. And that’s the motivation
behind writing this post is to cover fundamental concepts which form the basis for our modern communication system and how
they all relate to each other.
Waves
So let’s start with the most fundamental thing, i.e., wave. A wave is a disturbance that carries energy from one
location to another without displacing matter. Waves transfer energy from their source and do not cause any permanent
displacement of matter in the medium they pass through. The following animation demonstrates this concept.

Ocean and sound waves are mechanical waves Continue reading