We explain what fiber optics is and how it works. Also, what it is for, characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of fiber optics.
What is fiber optics?
Fiber optic is a physical medium for transmitting information common in data and telecommunications networks, which consists of a thin filament of glass or plastic, through which pulses of laser or LED light travel, in which the data to be transmitted is contained.
Through the transmission of these light impulses it is possible to send and receive information at high speeds through a cable run, safe from electromagnetic interference and with speeds similar to those of radio. This makes fiber optics the most advanced cable transmission medium available.
The implementation of fiber optics is heir to centuries of research and experimentation on light and its properties, from ancient times when the Greeks communicated through the reflection of sunlight in small mirrors, to the optical experiments of the Scientific Revolution. , to the invention of optical telegraphy in 1792 by Claude Chappe, and the subsequent work of the French physicists Jean-Daniel Colladon and Jacques Babinet, and the Irishman John Tyndall, all in the late 19th century.
Fiber optics as such would not enjoy the interest of engineers until 1950 and in 1970 The first piece would be manufactured, using titanium impurities in silica, by Robert Maurer, Donald Keck, Peter Schultz and Frank Zimar. The first transmission of information through this medium took place on April 22, 1977 in Long Beach, California, and in the 1980s it was perfected and began to be implemented on an international scale.
See also: ADSL
What is fiber optics for?
fiber optic It is ideal for cable telecommunications allowing the establishment of local and long-range computer networks, with a minimum of information loss along the way.
Its applications are diverse in this field, allowing the obtaining of network material, fiber optic sensors (for temperature, pressure or light levels), lighting material (particularly effective since it does not require proximity to the light source), and also being useful for decoration (there are Christmas trees made of fiber optics) or as a component of translucent concrete.
How does fiber optics work?
The principle of operation of fiber optics is that of Snell's Law which allows calculating the angle of refraction of light when passing from one medium to another with a different refractive index.
Thus, within the fiber, the light beams are trapped and propagating in the core, given the physical properties of the coating and the appropriate reflection angle, transporting the information sent to the destination. In the latter it operates in a similar way to the telegraph.
Fiber optic characteristics
The optical fiber used today consists of a plastic or glass core (silicon and germanium oxide) that has a high refractive index, covered with a similar plastic, but with a lower refractive index.
Thus, according to the mechanism of light propagation inside, optical fiber can be of two types:
- Single-mode fiber It allows the propagation of a single mode of light, through the reduction of the diameter of the fiber core, allowing information to be sent over long distances and at a good transfer rate.
- Multimodal fiber It allows light beams to propagate in more than one way (more than a thousand different modes), which increases the margin of error and makes it not highly recommended for very long distance connections.
Advantages of fiber optics
Fiber optics have the following advantages:
- It takes up little space Given its small size, it is extremely flexible, which makes it easier to install.
- It's light Well, it weighs eight times less than a conventional cable.
- It has great resistance Both mechanical and thermal, and resists corrosion well.
- It is more ecological Compared to the waste left by conventional wiring.
- Immune to electromagnetic interference Given the nature of its components.
- Fast, effective and safe It is the best known form of cable data transmission.
Disadvantages of fiber optics
The disadvantages of fiber optics point to the following:
- are fragile Since the glass inside is susceptible to breaking.
- Requires converters To return light energy to its informative meaning.
- Splices are difficult Especially in rural areas.
- It does not transmit electrical energy Therefore, it requires complex emitters and conveyors, whose energy supply cannot be taken from the line itself.
- It ages in the presence of water Which limits its global application.
- There are no optical memories
