Fiber optics is the study of optical fibers, which are thin pieces of high quality optical materials which are able to act as a waveguide for some frequencies of light. This waveguide or 'light pipe' feature of optical fibers allows them to transmit light with very low loss from one end of the fiber to the other.
Questions tagged [fiber-optics]
315 questions
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Maximum theoretical bandwidth of fibre-optics
Ignoring hardware at either end and their technological limitations, what is the maximum theoretical bandwidth of fibre optic cables currently in use / being deployed in a FTTH type situations? I understand there's a limit to the number of…
Lynden Shields
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Can a burning laser be directed through fiber optics?
Can a laser powerful enough to cut(100w for example) be redirected using fiber optics ?
What issues need to be considered?
To be clear it should retain the ability to cut after exiting the fiber.
UserZer0
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How does an endoscope form the image?
I am trying to do ray tracing for an endoscope, but I don't see how it could form a sharp image that could be viewed at the eyepiece.
In the diagram the box in the middle is the "fiber", but the light from the object (the dot on the left) comes out…
Cosmo
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How do non-mechanical solid-state optical switches work?
I am currently looking for a fiber-optical switch (FOS) in order to be able to change the light source of a spectrometer. As this will be used in harsh conditions, I was hoping to find a FOS with no moving parts.
Today I came across this, which…
huhnmonster
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Is a signal traveling through fiber faster than a signal traveling through copper?
Does the transmission medium affect the speed of a signal? For instance does light traveling through a fiber cable get a bit from $A \implies B$ faster than copper can transmit a bit the over the same distance?
Pwninstein
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4 answers
Focusing light into an optical fiber cable
I'm trying to focus light from a flashing light lamp throught two lens into a optical fiber cable which is around $0.8 \ \mathrm{cm}$ in diameter.
flashing light : a bulb and then covered by a glass of $7.5 \ \mathrm{cm \times 7\ cm}$
Fresnel Lens…
Aaron Kwong
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Does optical fiber preserve the angles of incoming light?
I am reading up on optical fibers and there's one thing I haven't understood yet:
Does an optical fiber preserve the angles of incoming light?
For example, if we light two LEDs in front of an optical fiber (within its acceptance cone) and hold…
user2078515
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6 answers
Why does an optical fibre employ total internal reflection instead of just reflection?
I learnt that an optic fibre uses the concept of total internal reflection (TIR) to transmit data at high speed, but why do they not use just simple mirrors instead of using refractive medium and making a light incident at an angle more than the…
user363737
7
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3 answers
Fiber optics with broadband, incoherent light
I wonder if someone could help clarify waveguiding with broadband, incoherent light please.
If we take a telecomms fiber, which is single-moded above ~1.4 μm and couple a laser beam in, we assume this excites the only mode, which is the fundamental…
Wostwl
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Single-mode fibers and ray-theory of light
I have read ray-theory cannot be applied to single-mode fibers. Why?
I know rays are kind of an approximation to describe the real behavior of light, and electromagnetic theory and photonics are closer to nature, but are there no "rays" in…
baister
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Method to measure zeroth order propagation constant of optical fibers ($\beta_0$)
In the Taylor series expansion of the mode-propagation constant $$ in optical fibers, we have multiple terms known as $_0$, $_1$, $_2$, etc. The terms $_1$, $_2$, and higher can be measured by different techniques to find the fiber dispersion and…
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Why should optical fibers be thin?
What are the reasons that optical fibers have to be thin (small radius of the fiber)? Is there a good picture which explains this in detail?
student
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Cladding of optical fibers
Why do optical fibers usually have a cladding? Ok, if you put make a bundle of optical fibers this prevents that light leaks from one fiber to another fiber in contact. However, are there other reasons to use claddings? Are there applications of…
student
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Experimental detection of Anderson localization of light in 3D vs 2D
I have a question about the experimental realization of Anderson localization of light. I am a theorist, and have not worked much in optics, so please bear with me.
Anderson localization of light in 3D has a turbulent history. Notable experimental…
MOOSE
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Measuring higher laser output behind single mode optical fiber than in front of it
I have a setup which includes a 637 nm toptica iBeamSmart laser which is reflected off two mirrors, passes through a line of dichroics (that should completely transmit it, they are used to couple other lasers) and then hits the entrance of a single…
L. Hehn
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