What are intrinsic losses primarily attributed to in fiber optics?

Intrinsic losses in fiber optics refer to the loss of signal strength that occurs due to the inherent properties and characteristics of the fiber material itself. These losses are primarily attributed to material imperfections within the fiber. Such imperfections can include factors like scattering due to microscopic variations in the glass structure and absorption of light by the materials making up the fiber.

These imperfections result in a fundamental limit to how much light can be transmitted through the fiber without losing a portion of the signal. Unlike extrinsic losses, which could be influenced by factors such as environmental conditions, connector issues, or installation mistakes, intrinsic losses are inherent to the fiber's physical makeup and the materials used in its fabrication. Thus, they represent a baseline level of loss that needs to be accounted for when evaluating the performance of any optical fiber system.