Optical Fiber

 

Optical fiber

Optical fiber is a very thin type of plastic

Glass system. Light signals are sent through optical fibers. Just as electrical signals are sent through electrical wires. You must be wondering how light signals are sent through optical fibers. You must have known about total internal reflection by now. By this total internal reflection the light signal is sent through the optical fiber.

Optical fiber electrical signals are first converted into light signals. The light signal is then sent through an optical fiber. At the other end the light signal is converted into an electrical signal. Thus it is possible to send signals through optical fibers.

 Much more signal can be sent through optical fiber. It will surprise you to hear that it is possible to send hundreds of thousands of telephone calls simultaneously over a single optical fiber.

Recently, optical fiber communication has improved so much that all countries in the world are connected to each other by optical fiber networks. Many times when this optical fiber is taken from one continent of the world to another, it is taken through the ocean floor. This type of fiber is called submarine cable.Satellite signals can travel at the speed of light, but because optical fiber has to pass through glass/plastic fibers, the speed of light is one-third less. However, when sending a signal from one surface of the earth to another over optical fiber, it can be sent much faster. Because then the signal does not have to go to the satellite about 36 thousand kilometers away and come back again.