Training In Fiber Optics Technology

If you want to learn about fiber optics, either for just keeping abreast with a new technology that is interesting, or for a more serious reason of using the eventual knowledge acquired in one’s training in fiber optics, to one’s job and career – there are courses and certificate programs that are designed to teach the students of the class the concepts underlying fiber optics technology.

In choosing a particular institution for your training program needs in fiber optics technology, one should check if the course provider, especially their instructors are qualified to conduct such, and if they are authorities in that specific field. Getting your training in fiber optics from experts in the field, or from qualified instructors the very least, will help ensure that you will be taught well and in detail of the basic workings and theories behind this popular technology.

Ask for a copy of their course outline and check for the number of hours allocated for each topic. If you are already a bit knowledgeable on areas of technology, you may already have an idea on some of the important concepts involved in fiber optics technology. Use this knowledge to compare the topics included by each course provider in their course outline, and choose one that seems to be sensible, in relation and consideration to its applicability as well to the job you are currently in, or to the career you might want to pursue in the future.

An important part of one’s training in fiber optics is the hands-on portion. This is where one will be given the chance to do the actual nitty-gritty stuff involved like in the preparation, handling, troubleshooting, set-up, and installation of fiber optics. In addition, simulations on actual scenarios that may happen in work settings should also be part of the training program you will be enrolling in, as this will give you a chance to practice the theories discussed in the lectures. There is no beating an actual hands-on experience – it is a definite need in one’s training in fiber optics as one will better understand and appreciate fiber optics technology, their core concepts, functions, and applications in the real world.

In one’s training in fiber optics, one may eventually consider taking advanced courses – this training will further enhance one’s knowledge and understanding on the concepts and applications of fiber optics. With such knowledge, one will be able to effectively and efficiently analyze issues affecting such – and combined with on the job experience will surely provide one with a deeper understanding of the amazing technology that is fiber optics.

Transcontinental Fiber Optics

Fiber optics technology is almost synonymous with telecommunications. As the innovations of fiber optics technology gets newer, the telecommunication technology likewise gets better. It can be deduced that fiber optics technology has largely impacted the performance of today’s telecommunication business.

The telecommunication system is greatly dependent with fiber optics technology. In order to live up to the competition and staying on top, and where survival is the fittest, is the norm a great amount of profitable investment in fiber optics is necessary. Any company that operates in this field has to find ways in order to attract more consumers and following.

Three big names in the telecommunications industry like Sprint, AT&T, and MCI have something in common, not because they are all leaders in the market but mainly because they have transcontinental fiber optics in place to accommodate greater proportions of data and information being processed from different points all over the globe. Transcontinental fiber optics means a big investment, but it pays great dividends as far as the rate and quality of data transmitted is concerned. By far, transcontinental fiber optics is gives better performance as compared to the almost obsolete copper cables that used to connect long distance telephone system.

Transcontinental fiber optics are those fiber optics cables placed underwater or even along seabeds that spans across oceans to connect telecommunication system. Transcontinental fiber optics, because of its protection, it can resist water seepage thus, protecting the information sent via fiber optics pathway. Regardless of the extent of the distance that the transcontinental fiber optics traveled it is still capable of giving a high-performance data transmission capability.

Just when we thought that only the telecommunications industry is the one that is solely dependent on fiber optics technology, there is one more field that also uses great advantage of fiber optics—the Defense Department of almost all the powerful countries in the world.

Developed countries from the west and a few from the east are making strides in protecting their country’s interest from the hands of highly organized crime groups. Intelligence and counter intelligence measures are at work just to keep their nations’ security. The issue on submarines spying on or intruding transcontinental fiber optics telecommunication lines raises a deep concern on the issue of privacy invasion.

SONAR (Sound Navigation and Ranging) is the key responsible in making transcontinental fiber optics installation possible, because only sonar is capable of measuring the depths of the sea floor once the fiber optics cable are installed.

Fiber optics technology served as the backbone that keeps the Defense Department of a country and the telecommunications industry running. It is expected that in the near future fiber optics will be used in almost any industry.

Understanding Fiber Optics

It’s no doubt that fiber optics is the most current strides of human technology. Its advent allowed so much to happen.

In brief:

The world of medicine, fiber optics allowed endoscopy to happen, and had proved invaluable as exploratory, invasive and surgical procedures becomes more minute; critical observation on hard to reach working areas of industrial machines is now possible by use of fiberscope or borescope and engineers can monitor how engines function in real time; in quantum mechanics, fiber optics can be manipulated as a gain medium in stimulated emission processes such as LASER; another wide application of fiber optics is in acoustics and sonar navigation, measuring strain, temperature, and tensile forces.

The widest use of fiber optics and the most visible is in telecommunications, and it is undoubtedly the harbinger of the Information Age, an age where information moves faster than physical movement, applying circa 1980s onwards. Also the age where Microsoft and Google rise to world prominence and Intangible Economy or Technocapitalism are the world’s primary economic activity and the competitive advantage relies on how information is transmitted through fiber optics.

Yet understanding fiber optics and the applied science principle is rather easy. In fact the concept of periscopes resemble closely to that of refraction, an element that is extremely important in fiber optics (though of course periscope doesn’t employ refraction index in its elements).

Understanding Fiber Optics

Fiber optics is a branch of applied science that deals specifically with optical fibers. These optical fibers are either made of plastic or glass, but with materials that are strictly regulated to meet a standard in refraction index. Refraction Index is the phase velocity in which light can travel along the fiber. For simpler comparisons, it’s the reflecting ability of a material, such that mirrors do tend to reflect light easier than, say, rubber. Check this picture of a fiber optic bundle:



Take note that the bundle of optical fibers shown do not give off light, rather, light had traveled along its length, thus illuminating the entire structure. So you see, as light (or data) is introduced onto one end of the fiber optic cable, light is then transmitted to its entire length, others dispelling to the sides (thus the illumination) and losing intensity (attenuation). But what happens if it is wrapped in a layer that has lower refractive index that light cannot pass through, such as rubber? All of the light will be reflected back and confined within the fiber optic cable. Over long distances, optical fibers like these have the capability to transmit data (as light) in a process called Total Internal Reflection.

That makes the purest glass (least impurities equate to higher refractive index.) and the lowest refractive cladding the optimum materials for optical fiber.

Who Invented Fiber Optics ?

The fiber optics that we have known today, has gone through so many stages of development before it be came what it is now. The metamorphosis of fiber optics can be credited to the many minds that have made extraordinary refinement of the function of fiber optics.

If we want to know who invented fiber optics, we must trace back to the times when it was modeled from. Actually the idea of fiber optics was inspired from the works of John Tyndall who in 1854, have presented the possibility of having light traveled through an irregular path, before the Royal Society, which gave the idea that light wave can be deformed.

Another noted scientist who can be credited to the flourishing of the fiber optics technology today is Alexander Graham Bell, however he is not the answer to the question “who invented fiber optics”. The photophone, which Bell invented provided an impetus for the development of fiber optics, because from there the thought that message can travel through medium had been noted.

The idea that light and message has become the inspiration of the workings of fiber optics at present. Who invented fiber optics, again was hard to answer even if William Wheeler in 1880, Roth and Ross in 1895 who are medical students from Vienna Austria, and David Smith had made their respective efforts in conducting experiments of making light pass through a channel.
It was only in 1930 that Heinrich Lamm who was pursuing a medical degree, was the first to successfully put strand of fiber optics together to send an image from one point to another receiving end. It is in this phase that fiber optics gained prominence as a possible tool of reaching the inner parts of the body that were otherwise hard to reach.

Several other scientists had followed suit in developing the use of fiber optics, so it is really hard to determine who invented fiber optics. The likes of Abraham Van Heel, and Elias Snitzer published their own works regarding fiber optics in 1954 and 1961, respectively. Dr. C.K. Kao was the one who determined the amount of decibels lost when transmitting messages. He was the one who proposed the manufacture of fiber optics made of pure glass material to minimize light loss. The proposal had opened the possibility of sending light waves over long distances. The famous Corning Company was the one that manufactured fiber optics in mass volume that was commissioned by the US Army Signal Corp.

The many innovators of fiber optics deserve adulations and praises, but as to who invented fiber optics you can only count plenty of heads.

Fiber and Optics Unveiled

The world wouldn’t be what it is now if it were not for fiber optics that has made advancements on the different fields and industries. Almost every facet of our lives have been affected by the innovations brought about by this technology. Mankind owes a lot to the fiber optics technology that has brought wonders to us now, and perhaps some more in the future.

What’s in a name? Fiber Optics – Fiber and Optics - Let us understand the meaning of the name behind such an awesome technology.

Fiber and Optics Revisited

Fiber in Fiber Optics – This word refers to the thin strands of pure transparent glass or at times of plastic composition that guides the light that passes through. This is commonly referred to as the core in the realm of fiber optics.

This can either be of single-mode or multi-mode classification. A single-mode fiber has a smaller core at around 9 microns and can be used for telecommunications and CATV applications. It allows for light travel at long distances at very high rates of speed. The multi-mode fiber has a bigger core at around 50 microns to around 62 microns. This is applicable for short distances with lower speed networks. Also, lasers are used for single-mode fibers, and LEDs are used for multi-mode fibers.

Optics in Fiber Optics – The word Optics is defined as a branch of physics that deals with the generation, transmission, and detection of electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range between those of microwaves and those of x-rays. This range is called the optical spectrum.

In general terms, optics is the science of light and vision. With this comes the principles of refraction, diffraction, dispersion, interference and propagation of light. A major point in the history of optics is the development of lasers.

Fiber and Optics Rediscovered

Fiber and optics, with their individual theories and applications, combined to make the fiber optics technology work. With their merging and integration, fiber optics has become what it is today because of these two concepts.

Fiber and Optics Demystified

The name fiber optics can be decoded to individual and separate words - and with the theories behind each, hold the key to unveiling the concepts behind fiber optics. Dissecting the words would lead one to a better understanding of the name and the technology that has more than created wonders to the world. The name behind the technology definitely makes sense. It stands behind principles that support the operations of fiber optics technology.

Fiber Optics Cable

Copper was once hailed as the ultimate solution to cabling needs until the invention of fiber optics. Almost all gadget and modern equipment are connected using coaxial copper wire. With the advent of fiber optics technology, coaxial copper cable has finally found a competitor.

Fiber optics cable has been around for many years. It has provided a better way of data transmission compared to the old coaxial copper cable counterpart. There are advantages in using fiber optics cable. It is lighter than the metal-based cables. It can transmit data over a longer range as compared to the metal cable. Fiber optics cable can also transmit data even when the cable is twisted slightly. Fiber optic cable can be submerged in water, because it does not carry electric energy unlike the copper cable that carry electric current, thus making it impossible to be submerged in water.

The disadvantage of using fiber optic cable is that it is difficult to splice, this makes harder to connect the cables, unlike the metal cable that splicing is very easy and connecting is easer too. Fiber optics cable tends to be more expensive as compared to the coaxial copper cable.

A fiber optic cable is composed of hairlike thin strands of glass fiber, however there is also fiber optics made from plastic material. Each strand is composed of a core, cladding and buffer coating. The core is the inside passage of light waves containing data. The light that passes through the core travels in a zigzag like manner. This is because light refracts from one angle to the other, or what is commonly known as the total internal refraction.

The middle layer of the fiber is the cladding. It wraps around the core while protecting the light from escaping. The cladding is incapable of absorbing the light, which helps contain the light only in the core. However there are instances wherein light absorbed is lesser than expected. This is due to the impurities of the glass used in the making of the fiber optics. In order to minimize the amount of light escaping from the core, a dopant is used, a kind of elemental substance, that can amplify the amount of light as it traverses to the whole length of the fiber optics. The last layer of the fiber optics is the buffer coating, which protects the cladding and the core.

Fiber optic cable is widely used in the telecommunications industry. Gradually this cabling material is slowly putting the use of coaxial copper cable to rest.