The Incredible Shrinking, Double-Density Fiber Optic Cable

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As everyone uses more bandwidth than ever before, today’s networks require more optical fiber in less space. To help address this need, OFS introduced Fortex™ 2DT Fiber Optic Cable, the newest addition to the completely gel-free Fortex DT Cable product line.   Fiber Optic Cable: Getting Smaller and More Dense Fortex 2DT Cable is the […]

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Choosing the “Right” Optical Fiber – Single-Mode or Multimode?

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A huge increase in digital devices, cloud computing and web services have helped fuel the tremendous demand for increased bandwidth while also pushing datacom rates to 100G and beyond. With these faster speeds and greater use, system designers might assume that single-mode optical fiber holds a growing advantage over multimode optical fiber for premises applications. […]

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Fiber Optic Internal Body Imaging Goes 3D

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Researchers at the ARC Centre for Excellence in Nanoscale BioPhotonics (CNBP) discovered an exciting new method that could make it possible to use 3D microscopy to view hard-to-reach areas of the human body. This method uses fiber optic bundles to miniaturize a type of 3D imaging called “light field imaging.”  Taken to extreme new levels, […]

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Temperature sensing is important to many land and oceanic oil operations.

Optical Fiber: When the Heat and Pressure Are On

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Many land and oceanic oil operations use temperature sensing to help improve safety and functionality in harsh environments. Optical fibers used in these conditions are routinely exposed to high temperatures and pressures, along with ionizing radiation and aggressive chemicals in the surroundings. Given these extremes, companies are increasingly using silica-based optical fibers for both acoustic […]

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Learning the ABCs of Fiber Optics

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  Already known as the state’s first gigabit city, Wilson, North Carolina, is now also that state’s first city to offer a “Fiber Optics Basics” training course at its local community college. Last month, Wilson Greenlight, the city’s community-owned, fiber-to-the-home provider, partnered with Wilson Community College to launch the pilot 10-week program.   A Long-Held […]

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Using Dark Fiber Optic Cables to Detect Earthquakes

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Researchers hope to use networks of unused, dark fiber optic cables to help detect underground sound waves that can warn of an impending earthquake. Millions of miles of unused, dark fiber optic cables are installed underground. A research team of scientists from the University of California (Berkeley) and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab have been experimenting […]

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New Ways to Twist and Shift Light

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The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) recently conducted photonics research that may lead to new quantum technologies and telecom systems. The researchers discovered unexpected qualities in light that could, in the long term, lead to completely new electronic devices and applications. Light is frequently used in electronics involved in telecommunications and computing. One good example of […]

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Lighting Up Dark Fiber

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Last month, internet speeds in Jackson, Mississippi, jumped from 1 Gb to 100 Gb. This leap forward is part of the city’s work to light up “dark fiber” in the robust fiber optic network that it owns. The Origin of Dark Fiber The term “dark fiber” refers to unused or underused fiber optic infrastructure (optical fibers, […]

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