Cold weather has proven troublesome for fiber optic cable performance, often changing the internal geometry of the fiber. Scientists from Bellcore in San Diego have monitored the problem during the past several years, subjecting fiber optic cable to simulated seasonal cycles. Their findings reveal...Read full articleRelated content from Photonics MediaARTICLESQuantum Entanglement Sent Over 50 Km of Optical FiberA team from the University of Innsbruck and the Institute of Quantum Optics and Quantum Information of the Austrian Academy of Sciences has achieved what could be a record for the transfer of quantum...Photonics Spectra November 2019 IssueEntanglement-Based QKD Could Secure Optical Fiber NetworksA technique to help pairs of light particles smoothly navigate optical fiber networks was performed over 10 km of Singtel’s fiber network. Researchers from the National University of Singapore...Photonics Spectra June 2019 IssueWireless-to-Optical Receiver Could Speed Data Transmission Over 'last mile'While light waves sent through optical fibers support fast data transmission, the “last mile,” from the fiber optic cable to the internet socket in your home, can be the most challenging...Photonics Spectra March 2019 IssueResearchers Customize Broadband Light Sources Using a Photonic Chip and AIResearchers from Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) and the University of Sussex have collaborated to create an optical device that uses AI to control the properties of light....Photonics Spectra February 2019 IssuePRODUCTSHybrid Optical CableThe USB 3.1 Hybrid Active Optical Cable from Intercon 1 provides high data rates and considerable length as a flexible, long-distance solution. A copper conductor provides power to the device,...Photonics Spectra July 2019 IssueLow-PIM Coaxial Cable AssembliesCustom Low-Passive Intermodulation (PIM) Coaxial Cable Assemblies from Pasternack offer connector options to address DAS, wireless infrastructure, multi-carrier communication systems, WISP, small...Photonics.com 5/2/2019Diffraction GratingsWe are one of the few manufacturers offering in-house custom design and manufacturing capabilities for both ruled and holographically recorded diffraction gratings.Photonics Buyers' Guide January 2018 IssueWave Optics ModuleThe Wave Optics Module is an add-on product to the COMSOL Multiphysics® simulation software platform. You can use the Wave Optics Module to efficiently model and optimize optical systems and...Promoted Content July 2019 IssuePHOTONICS HANDBOOK ARTICLESFiber Optics: Understanding the Basics: Nothing has changed the world of communications as much as the development and implementation of optical fiber. This article provides the basic principles needed to work with this technology.Optical fibers are made from either glass or plastic. Most are roughly the diameter of a human hair, and they may be many miles long. Light is transmitted along the center of the fiber from one end...Photonics HandbookConnectors and Splices: Correct Alignment Spells Success: Whether the job is splicing fibers together or connecting fibers to system devices, alignment is the key to success. This article explores the many ways to achieve that goal.Just as an electronic connector provides a pluggable connection between electronic circuits, a fiber optic connector provides an optical one. The goal is joining a fiber to a transmitter, receiver or...Photonics HandbookPolarization in Fiber Systems: Squeezing out More Bandwidth: To appease the demand for bandwidth, telecommunication operators are pushed to increase the per-channel data rate of wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) systems.As bit rates increase to meet expanding demand, systems have become increasingly sensitive to polarization-related impairments. These include polarization mode dispersion (PMD) in optical fibers,...Photonics HandbookOTDRs: Finding the Weak Spots in Fiber Links: The optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) is used to characterize a fiber optic span. It performs single-ended tests and can calculate fiber attenuation and uniformity and splice and connector losses. It can also locate breaks and determine fiber length. Its ability to locate and measure reflectance and loss makes it the troubleshooting and fault locating equipment of choice. New generation OTDRs include advanced functions such as macrobend location, active-fiber testing and automatic trace acquisition.An optical time-domain reflectometer sends short pulses of light into a fiber and measures its reflections as a function of time. The delay of these reflections to the detector as well as their...Photonics HandbookWHITEPAPERSBall Shaped End CapsIn this paper, general ball shaped end-caps are studied and illustrated. Different ball shaped end-caps were tested and measured for a variety of applications. For example, a 2.2 mm diameter ball...Photonics.com 12/31/2019How to Fail Fast and Smart During the Optical Product Design ProcessFailure is an inevitable part of the product development process, because you have to explore all the ways a design won’t work to find the way it will work. When you’re in a situation that demands...Photonics.com 4/3/2018Annular Heating of Optical Fiber with a CO2 Laser Using Reflective Axicon ElementsBy offsetting the light structure, precise localized zone heating and annealing of specific areas at a fiber’s surface can be achieved as well. This is essentially a passive device into which active...Photonics.com 2/1/2020Effects of Sterilization Methods on Key Properties of Specialty Optical Fibers Used in Medical DevicesOptical fibers with different types of polymer coatings were exposed to three sterilization conditions: multiple autoclaving, treatment with ethylene oxide and treatment with gamma rays. Effects of...Photonics.com 2/25/2019WEBINARSFundamentals of Helium Leak DetectionFrom LEDs to medical devices to microelectronics to fiber optics — everything leaks! This 40-minute webinar, presented by Agilent Technologies, will describe the challenges of locating and...Photonics.com 4/17/2018Positioning Equipment for Automated Fiber Optics Device Manufacturing: Practical Ways to Solve Challenging ProblemsAs fiber optics device manufacturing processes mature, the use of automated alignment, probing, and packaging equipment will become widespread. These automated technologies will greatly enhance the...Photonics.com 4/22/2020Computational Microscopy, Sensing and Diagnostics for Telemedicine and Global Health ApplicationsAdditional Questions and Answers from the Webinar are below: With more than 6 billion cell phone users in the world, the majority of them in developing countries, there are opportunities for...Photonics.com 6/5/2013Simulating Metamaterials in the Terahertz RegimeIf you want to learn how to simulate metamaterials in the terahertz regime, then tune into this webinar, presented by COMSOL. Metamaterials are engineered to have specific material properties. They...Photonics.com 4/27/2017PHOTONICS DICTIONARY TERMSphotonicsThe technology of generating and harnessing light and other forms of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The science includes light emission, transmission, deflection, amplification and...EDU.photonics.com 3/22/2016intensified vidiconA standard direct-readout vidicon tube linked by fiber optics to an intensifier for increased sensitivity.EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009fiber opticsThe use of thin flexible glass or plastic fibers as wave guides - or "light pipes" - to channel light from one location to another. Fiber optics is based off of the principle of total internal...EDU.photonics.com 3/5/2018polishing jigIn fiber optics, a device used to polish a biconic plug to a specified length and surface finish. Also called a polishing disc.EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009MEDIAPhotonics on the Showroom Floor and in the Lab - LIGHT MATTERS 02.2018On this month's episode of Light Matters, we take you on a brief tour of the Higgins Laboratories at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Quinsigamond Community College and WPI received a $4M grant...Photonics.com 2/21/2018SCHOTT Solutions for InVitro DiagnosticsLight is not always simply light when it comes to clinical diagnoses, light is the key to prediction accuracy in analytical quality. Our solution: a flexible fiber optic multi-branch device with...Photonics.com 3/14/2018Supporting the Photonics Industry from the Laboratory - LIGHT MATTERS 01.2018On this month's episode of Light Matters, we take you to central Massachusetts as Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Quinsigamond Community College take on a comprehensive joint photonics laboratory...Photonics.com 1/18/2018Light Matters Extra: Taking Photonics Innovations from the Lab to the Operating Room - 01.2018In this month's Light Matters Extra, we give you an in-depth look at the relationship between researchers and scientists at the University of California Davis, and surgeons and clinicians at nearby...Photonics.com 1/18/2018PHOTONICS BUYERS' GUIDE CATEGORIESOptical Talk SetsNonsilica Glass Fiber Optic FibersFiber Optic Communications SystemsPlastic Fiber Optic FibersCOMPANIESEvanescent Optics Inc.Evanescent Optics Inc. acquired the assets and employee group of Canadian Instrumentation & Research Ltd. in August 2009 and continues production and development of the suite of fiber optic...Photonics Buyers' GuideZeus Industrial ProductsZeus delivers precision polymer solutions that transform businesses, markets, and lives. We have dedicated 50 years to building partnerships, products, and services. Headquartered in Orangeburg,...Photonics Buyers' GuidePhotonTec Berlin GmbHPhotonTec Berlin GmbH is located in the Center for Microsystems and Materials (ZMM) in Berlin-Adlershof, Germany. We focus on the development, production, and marketing of fiber-coupled diode lasers...Photonics Buyers' Guideart photonics GmbHart photonics GmbH is the world's leading manufacturer of unique fiber optics for mid IR-range, pioneering the patented technology of Polycrystalline PIR-fibers and assembling a variety of specialty...Photonics Buyers' Guide