"A flexible glass or plastic fiber that can transmit light from one end to the other."
Study of the practical applications of optics in various fields, such as medicine, telecommunications, and manufacturing.
Geometrical optics: The study of light propagation through lenses, mirrors, and other optical components based on principles of geometry.
Wave optics: The study of light as a wave phenomenon, including interference, diffraction, polarization, and coherence.
Physical optics: The study of light as an electromagnetic wave, including the relationships between electric and magnetic fields, and the interaction of light with materials such as metals and dielectrics.
Fourier optics: The application of Fourier transformation techniques to the analysis of optical systems, including Fourier series and transforms, the Fourier plane, and the use of Fourier optics in image processing.
Diffraction theory: The mathematical analysis of the diffraction of light, including the scalar wave theory, Kirchhoff's integral, and the use of diffraction theory in the design of optical devices such as diffractive optics.
Optical materials: The properties and applications of materials used in optical systems, including glasses, crystals, and polymers.
Optical instruments: The design and operation of optical instruments such as telescopes, microscopes, and cameras, including the principles of lens and mirror design, aberrations, and the use of optical coatings.
Optical manufacturing and testing: The techniques used to manufacture and test optical components, including grinding, polishing, and coating, as well as the measurement of optical properties such as reflectivity, transmittance, and refractive index.
Optical communications: The use of light for communication purposes, including fiber-optic communication systems, free-space optical communication, and optical wireless communication.
Biomedical optics: The application of optical techniques to biomedical research and diagnosis, including optical imaging, spectroscopy, and therapy.
Nonlinear optics: The study of the interaction of light with materials in which the response varies nonlinearly with the intensity of the incident light, including nonlinear optical phenomena such as second-harmonic generation, parametric amplification, and optical solitons.
Quantum optics: The study of the interaction of light with matter at the quantum level, including quantum entanglement, quantum interference, and quantum information processing.
Microscopy: The study of small objects using optical magnification devices.
Imaging: The creation of visual representations of objects or scenes using optical systems.
Spectroscopy: The measurement of the interaction of light with matter, in order to study its properties.
Holography: The recording of three-dimensional images using a laser beam.
Laser technology: The use of lasers for various applications, such as cutting, welding, and marking.
Optical communications: The use of optical fiber for high-speed data transmission.
Optical sensors: The use of light-based technology to measure physical properties like temperature, pressure, or distance.
Optical signal processing: The manipulation of light signals in order to achieve desired outcomes.
Optical data storage: The use of optical media to store digital information.
Optical coatings: The application of thin films to lenses or mirrors in order to enhance or protect their performance.
Adaptive optics: Technology for controlling the distortion of optical systems, particularly in telescopes.
Biomedical optics: The use of light-based techniques for diagnosis and treatment of various medical conditions.
Optical lithography: The use of light to transfer patterns onto a substrate, particularly in the production of microelectronics.
Quantum optics: The study of the interaction between light and matter at the quantum level.
Optical metrology: The measurement of physical properties using optical methods.
"They permit transmission over longer distances and at higher bandwidths than electrical cables."
"Signals travel along them with less loss, and fibers are immune to electromagnetic interference."
"They are used for illumination and imaging, as well as in fiber optic sensors and fiber lasers."
"Glass optical fibers are typically made by drawing."
"Plastic fibers can be made either by drawing or by extrusion."
"Light is kept in the core by the phenomenon of total internal reflection which causes the fiber to act as a waveguide."
"Multi-mode fibers have a wider core diameter and are used for short-distance communication links, while single-mode fibers are used for most communication links longer than 1,050 meters."
"It involves careful cleaving of the fibers, precise alignment of the fiber cores, and the coupling of these aligned cores."
"An electric arc is used to melt the ends of the fibers together."
"The ends of the fibers are held in contact by mechanical force."
"By means of specialized optical fiber connectors."
"Fiber optics."
"Indian-American physicist Narinder Singh Kapany."
"They can carry light into or images out of confined spaces, as in the case of a fiberscope."
"For short-distance communication links and applications where high power must be transmitted."
"They support a single mode and are used for longer communication links."
"They are specially designed to be used as fiber optic sensors."
"Single-mode fibers."
"To surround the core and have a lower index of refraction, aiding in keeping the light in the core."