Fiber optic attenuators use several methods of attenuation including air gaps, microbends, acousto-optic modulators, and electro-optic modulators. 1. Air gapsbetween optical fibers cause light to be reflected because of the change i. Fiber optic attenuators use several methods of attenuation including air gaps, microbends, acousto-optic modulators, and electro-optic modulators. 1. Air gapsbetween optical fibers cause light to be reflected because of the change in refractive index. 2. Microbends are sharp curvatures with local axial displacements of a few micrometers and spatial. Fiber optic attenuators are available with either a fixed or variable attenuation range. Video Credit: EXFOTube / CC BY-SA 4.0 Fixed fiber optic attenuatorsare used to reduce the optical power signal in communication links. They work analogous to a step-down transformer. As the signal approaches a device or node in a communication link the power is. Fiber optic attenuators are available in a two cable types, single mode and multimode, which will allow either single or multiple paths for light to travel through the fiber respectively. Multimode cables limit the distance that the signal can travel as multiple paths of transmission cause modes of light to disperse, limiting the transmission bandw.