What type of dispersion is caused by light injected into the optical fiber media containing slightly differing wavelengths?

The correct answer is chromatic dispersion, which occurs when light consisting of multiple wavelengths is injected into an optical fiber. In optical fibers, different wavelengths of light travel at slightly different speeds due to the refractive index of the fiber material, which varies with wavelength. This results in the various wavelengths spreading out over distance, causing the different light signals to arrive at different times.

Chromatic dispersion is significant because it can lead to signal broadening, which may limit the maximum distance and data rates that can be effectively transmitted through the fiber. Understanding chromatic dispersion is crucial for designing optical communication systems, especially in high-speed networks where maintaining signal integrity over long distances is essential.

The other options refer to different types of dispersion phenomena. Angular dispersion relates to the spreading of different angles of light rays, temporal dispersion pertains to the effects on time delays due to varying propagation speeds, and modal dispersion refers specifically to the different propagation speeds of light in multiple modes within multimode fibers. While these are all important concepts in fiber optics, chromatic dispersion is specifically the effect caused by slightly differing wavelengths, making it the best choice.