Photonics Dictionary: H

A defect in the cleaved end face of an optical fiber, defined as multiple surface irregularities across the fiber surface. A less serious imperfection of the same nature is known as mist.

A type of optical fiber in which a silica core is surrounded by a hard polymer or similar material much stronger than the customary cladding material.

Designation for the fundamental mode of an optical fiber.

Optical fiber in which the attenuation exceeds the normally acceptable level for long-haul or data communications use.

A very high bandwidth communication line often used in fiber optics.

A system of Japanese origin that utilizes Fresnel lenses and a fiber optic network to transmit sunlight to otherwise inaccessible areas.

An infrared-transmitting optical fiber with a hollow core; it can be square, round or rectangular in cross section. Capable of carrying high laser power but subject to high bending losses.

A method of manufacturing polycrystalline infrared-transmitting optical fiber by heating a single halide crystal billet and forcing it through a die.

A cable assembly containing both optical fibers and copper electrical conductors in the same jacket.

An optical fiber's absorption of electromagnetic waves due to hydroxyl ions remaining after contact with water.

In fiber optics, a material whose properties, usually of transmission, are distinctly affected by the absorption of water vapor.

E.I. duPont's trade name for a material used in the jacket of fiber optic cables. It is flame-retardant, thermally stable and resistant to oxidation, ozone and radiation.