Fibre Optics
An optic fibre is a thin, flexible strand of glass or plastic, about the size of a hair, that transmits light signals over distances.
Optical Fibres are the backbone of the internet. Made of silica, a form of sand, these small glass cables go unnoticed yet underpin the internet and our modern world. They are inside buildings, run beneath cities, and span millions of kilometres under the ocean, connecting continents through networks of submarine cables.
How it works:
Light travels through the core of the fibre by bouncing off its inner walls. The layer surrounding the core is called Cladding. The cladding has a special job—it helps keep the light trapped inside the core by bouncing it back in, like how mirrors reflect light. This way, the light stays inside and doesn’t escape!
Nothing is faster than light. It can travel 299,792,458 meters in one second!
Optical fibres can be used for both sensing and communication, and they are highly versatile in both roles. They are a fundamental part of the technologies people use daily.
COMMUNICATION: The Internet, television, and telephone, the majority of global communications go through cables. Against popular belief, they are the backbone of the Internet as the vast majority of it is cabled.
In a fibre optic internet connection, data from your computer is converted into light signals using a laser or LED. These light signals travel through the fibre. At the receiving end, the light signals are converted back into electrical signals or data that your device can process.
Light moves at super speed and can send messages almost instantly, which is why when you’re on the internet or making a phone call, everything happens right away.
SENSING: Optical fibres are used to monitor the health of skyscrapers, detect leaks in deep-sea oil rigs, and even track earthquakes in real-time. The fibres used for sensing are specially designed to make the guided light in the fibre respond to their environment in specific ways.
At the University of Adelaide, researchers are exploring the future of sensors by finding new ways for light to move and interact within optical fibres. They design and manufacture fibres with unique internal structures. Creating these advanced sensors requires several careful steps.
