Optical Fibers

Fiber optics are used to transport light and can allow for communications over long distances at much higher rates. Fibers are used in place of wire because they are not affected by electromagnetic forces.

Optical fibers work due to something known as total internal reflection, they more or less guide waves through the cable. There is a core and an outer layer that make up an optical fiber. The inner layer has a greater refractive index than the outer layer which causes light to reflect back into the inner layer. Due to the way the cables are designed they can not be easily connected in the way that wire can. They most be arched together perfectly in order to work properly.

Optical fibers have many uses in the world today. They are largely used in communications over long distances. This makes the use of repeaters unnecessary due to the fact that light travels through the cables without being lost. They each cable can also carry multiple wavelengths of light at the same time. These cables can save space and time because they can carry more in one cable than a number of other cables combined at much high speeds. They also make wire tapping extremely difficult due to the fact that they can not be easily joined with other cables. Because they are made out of glass or plastic they work by transporting light instead of electrical signals.

Another application for optical fibers is in sound. They can be used in SONAR and hydrophone systems quite easily due to the fact that they do not need electricity. They can also be used in temperature reading because they can operate at much higher temperatures.

Optical fibers are usually made of either glass or plastic. The glass fibers are generally made from silica or other materials depending on the wavelengths of the light that they will be transmitting. The glasses all generally have an index of refraction near 1.5. This gives the difference between the core and outer layer a difference of roughly one percent.