Download How Optical Fibers Became the Best

Fibers Optics,
Then and Now
AJ Douglas
Marcus Cato
Nile Hargrove
• A very thin, flexible glass or plastic strand along which large quantities of
information can be transmitted in the form of light pulses: used in
telecommunications, medicine, and other fields. In the contemporary age,
optical fiber is in high demand in the military. Their strong, and more
importantly lightweight and can also be used in harsh environments.
• Today more then 80% of the world’s long-distance voice and data traffic is
carried over optical fiber
John Tyndall,
1854s
Elias
Snitzer,
1970s
•
As far back as Roman times, glass has been drawn into fibers. Yet it was not until the 1790s
that the French Chappe brothers invented the first optical telegraph. It was a system
comprised of a series of lights mounted on towers where operators would relay a message
from one tower to the next. In the 1840s, physicist Daniel Collodon and Jacques Babinet
showed that light could be directed along jets of water for fountain displays. In 1854, John
Tyndall, British physicist, demonstrated that light could travel through a curved stream of
water thereby proving a light signal could be bent. In 1961, Elias Snitzter of American
Optical published a theoretical description of a single mode fibers whose core would be so
small it could carry light with only one wave guide mode. Finally, in 1970, the goal of
making single mode fibers with attenuation less then 20 about decibels. This was when
optical fibers were actually invented, by scientist at Corning Glass Works.
Daniel
Colladon,
1840s
Person or Group
Their Contribution
Apx. Year.
Chappe Bros.
The 1st optical Telegraph
1790
Colladon and Babinet
Directed light through water
1840
John Tyndall
Proved light could be bent
1854
Elias Snizter
Optical Fiber Theory
1961
Corning Glass Scientist
Invented first optical fiber
1970
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Optical fiber is used in so many different ways in the modern age. Here are just a few
Medical- Used as light guides, imaging tools and also as lasers for surgeries
Defense/Government- Used a hydrophones for seismic and SONAR uses, as wiring in aircraft, submarines and other vehicles also
for field networking.
Data Storage – Used for data transmission
Telecommunications – Fiber is laid and used for transmitting and receiving purposes
Networking- Used to connect users and servers in a variety of network setting and help increase the speed and accuracy of data
transmission.
Industrial/Commercial - Used for imaging in hard to reach areas, sensory devices to make a temperature, pressure and other
measurements, and as wiring in automobiles and in industrial settings.
Broadcast/CATV - Broadcast/ cable companies are using fiber optic cables for wiring CATV, HDTV, internet, on-demand
applications and much more.
Medical
Viewing tool
Fiber optic cable sensor
Fiber Optics in the Military
• If you look closely at a fiber optic cable (through a microscope) you’ll notice
it has 3 distinct parts:
• The Core – Then glass center of the cable where the light travels
• Cladding- Outer optical material coating the core that reflects light back
into the core.
• Buffer Coating – Plastic coating that protects fiber from damage and
moisture.
• Imagine shining a flash light down the hallway outside this room. Not too
hard right? But what if the hallway suddenly had a 45 degree turn it. How
would you shine the light all the way down the hall way. Mirrors would be
the most appropriate solution. However, if the hallway had even more turns
in it, you need more mirrors correct? Oddly enough, this is how fiber optic
cables work.
Essentially the core is
the hallway, the cladding
Is the mirrors you’d use
In the hallway and the
Buffer coating would be
the walls of the hallway
Sources
• Freudenrich, Ph.D., Craig. "How Fiber Optics Work" 06 March
2001. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://computer.howstuffworks.com/fiberoptic.htm> 13 August 2014.
• "History of Fiber Optics." History of Fiber Optics. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Aug.
2014.
• "Uses of Fiber Optic Cables." Uses of Fiber Optic Cables. N.p., n.d. Web. 13
Aug. 2014.