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What Are Fiber Optics?
Home » Industrial Equipment » Fiber Optics » What Are Fiber Optics?Fiber optics are long thin strands of very pure glass about the diameter of a human hair. They are arranged in bundles called optical cables and are used to transmit light signals over long distances.
A single optical fiber contains a core, cladding and a buffer coating. The core is the thin glass center of the fiber where the light travels. The cladding is the outer optical material surrounding the core that reflects the light back into the core. The Buffer coating is the plastic coating that protects the fiber from damage and moisture.
Hundreds or thousands of these optical fibers are arranged in bundles in optical cables. The bundles are protected by a jacked, the cable’s outer cover.
Optical fibers come in single mode and multi mode fibers. Single mode fibers have small cores, about 9 microns in diameter, and transmit infrared laser light. Multi mode fibers have larger cores, about 62.5 microns in diameter, and transmit infrared light.
Some optical fibers can be made from plastic. These fibers have a large core and transmit visible red light.
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