spectral width

The wavelength interval over which the magnitude of all spectral components is equal to or greater than a specified fraction of the magnitude of the component having the maximum value. Note 1: In optical communications applications, the usual method of specifying spectral width is the full width at half maximum. This method may be difficult to apply when the spectrum has a complex shape. Another method of specifying spectral width is a special case of root-mean-square deviation where the independent variable is wavelength, , and f () is a suitable radiometric quantity. Note 2: The relative spectral width, /, is frequently used where is obtained according to note 1, and is the center wavelength.