optical fibers

Optical fibers for earthquake monitoring head undersea

By Lisa McDonald / December 3, 2019

It is challenging to effectively monitor seismic quakes deep in the ocean. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory researchers and colleagues, who previously used optical fibers to monitor earthquakes on land, tested using optical fibers to monitor earthquakes undersea.

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Other materials stories that may be of interest

By Lisa McDonald / March 6, 2019

Welding glass to metal, defying Joule’s first law, and other materials stories that may be of interest for March 6, 2019.

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Ferroelectric crystal(lizes) next-gen optical communication idea

By Lisa McDonald / February 15, 2019

A research collaboration achieved ferroelectric domain reversal in single-crystal-architecture-in-glass (SCAG) optical fibers, in spite of the crystals being constrained inside glass. Their research could revolutionize optical data transmission technology.

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Rethinking optical fiber glasses and what it will take to pump more data into our phones

By Eileen De Guire / January 15, 2018

Optical fiber networks form the backbones of wireless communication and data transmission, but scattering nonlinearities limit transmission. A series of four new open-access papers introduce a unified materials approach to finding new and better optical fiber glasses without intrinsic nonlinearities.

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Biodegradable polymer may replace glass optical fiber for medical applications

By Faye Oney / October 17, 2017

Researchers from Penn State University have developed a flexible optical fiber that can deliver light into the body for diagnosing disease or viewing tissue damage. It is also biodegradable, offering a number of applications for the medical industry.

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New liquid light switch could boost power of smaller electronic devices

By Stephanie Liverani / August 12, 2016

Scientists at the University of Cambridge in England are taking an in-depth look at the way in which information is processed and transmitted in electronic devices. They’ve developed a miniature electro-optical switch that they say can boost the power and efficiency of small electronics.

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Other materials stories that may be of interest

By April Gocha / April 20, 2016

Nanotubes align into wafer-thin films, perovskite solar cells get a squeeze, new LED covers full visible spectrum, and other materials stories that may be of interest for April 20, 2016.

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Other materials stories that may be of interest

By April Gocha / February 10, 2016

ICG to hold glass workshop this summer, how-to for high-precision glass nanoengraving, and other materials stories that may be of interest for February 10, 2016.

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Other materials stories that may be of interest

By April Gocha / July 8, 2015

Another insight into glass formation, methane conversion by copper zeolites, and other materials stories that may be of interest for July 8, 2015.

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Materials perform presto-chango in preform-to-fiber transformation

By April Gocha / February 25, 2015

With a highly technical wave of a wand, MIT researchers have, for the first time, fabricated multifunctional, multimaterial fibers that have a completely different composition than their starting materials.

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