Fiber Optics is the branch of
optics that deals with the transmission of light through
thin rods of transparent material of high refractive
index, such as glass. The principle is this: Light
admitted at one end of the fiber travels inside the
fiber core and strikes the outer surface which is
then reflected inward thousands of times. The optical
fiber core is surrounded by a layer of material with a
much lower refractive index to avoid the loss of light
by impurities on the surface of the fiber.
The use of fiber optic technology is endless. Light
itself can be transmitted to otherwise unreachable
locations. Images can be sent by bundling several
thousand very thin fibers that are optically polished
at their ends, which can then be viewed when reproduced
at the other end of the bundle. This technology is
already widely used in the medical field, in facsimile
systems, in computer graphics and various other
applications. The potential is unlimited for a variety
of sensing devices involving environmental changes,
pressure, sound, heat and motion. Where electrical
effects can be useless, or even hazardous, fiber is
extremely accurate for carrying high-power beams for
cutting and drilling.
Major growth of fiber optic applications is in the
communications field. Converging technology has become a
possibility due to the speed at which data and
information can travel through fiber. Traditional
architecture of communication lines was copper and that
is analog, which is slow compared to the speed of light
capabilities of fiber transmissions. With the increased
competition for long distance the new architecture of
long distance facilities has become wireless or fiber
based and the last miles into the home or business has
become the "bottleneck" for all this digital
information. We need fiber to the desktop and into the
home. This is the most difficult and expensive part of
the entire architecture.
With the development of fully optical networks, the
standardization of the protocol (the way the digital
information is delivered), and the advent of the new
faster Internet II make way for the next generation of
communications and new advanced digital applications.
This is the frontier of the way that Cities will exist 5
or 10 years from now. Fiber optics is secure, delivers
content without interruption, and can be used to develop
the networks that are needed for all these advanced
platforms and digital applications. The possibilities
are endless and it makes for an exciting future. For
further information on this technology please visit Telephony
Magazine.