Can a Quantum Network “Hacker Proof” Fiber Optic Cables?
Leave a CommentIn 2013, Edward Snowden, a U.S. National Security Agency contractor, leaked documents showing that intelligence agencies were spying on the data of private citizens. One disturbing fact was that the spies tapped into optical fiber cables to access the huge amount of data moving through these cables. Snowden’s disclosures pushed researchers to use quantum science […]
Tags: cybersecurity, Edward Snowden, hackers, hacking, network security, NSA, quantum, quantum key distribution, quantum network, quantum teleportation, secure network
Smaller Endoscopes from New, Air-Filled Optical Fiber Bundles?
Leave a CommentA new, air-filled optical fiber bundle could dramatically improve medical endoscopes. This technology could also help create endoscopes that produce images using infrared wavelengths. If so, this breakthrough would allow diagnostic procedures that aren’t currently possible. In the Optical Society (OSA) journal Optics Letters, University of Bath (U.K.) researchers showed that these new fiber […]
Tags: air-clad fiber bundle, air-clad imaging fibers, endoscope, fiber optic bundles, medical diagnosis, medical imaging, MOFs, OFS Laboratories, OFS Labs, optical fiber, optical fiber bundle
Could “Twisted” Fiber Optics Create a 100 Times Faster Internet?
Leave a CommentResearchers at Australia’s RMIT University recently discovered a new fiber optic breakthrough that could lead to 100 times faster internet speeds. This new development detects light that has been twisted into a spiral. According to research in Nature Communications, developers could upgrade existing fiber optic networks and boost efficiency using this discovery. HOW […]
Tags: Australia, fast internet, fiber network, fiber optic cables, fiber optics, internet, light, NBN, optical fiber, RMIT, twisted light
Could Fiber Optic Sensors Help Prevent Power Theft?
Leave a CommentFiber optic sensors could one day catch thieves who steal electricity and materials from overhead power lines. The UK firm Bandweaver recently demonstrated a distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) system that detects invasion and interruption on power lines. The system does this by using back-scattering effects along an optical fiber. The Cost of Tampering A […]
Tags: distributed acoustic sensing, electricity, fiber optic cable, fiber optic sensors, optical fiber, photonics, power companies, power line, power line monitoring, power theft, theft prevention
New Fiber Optic Gyroscope: More Precise, Smaller than a Grain of Rice
Leave a CommentEngineers at the California Institute of Technology have created the world’s smallest fiber optic gyroscope. Five hundred times smaller than a regular gyroscope, this new gyro can fit on a grain of rice. This research breakthrough could lead to more accurate fiber optic gyros compared to mechanical units. WHAT OPTICAL GYROS DO Advanced fiber […]
Tags: aircraft, fiber optic gyroscope, ground vehicles, missiles, navigation systems, optical fiber, Sagnac effect, UAVs, unmanned aerial vehicles
Melting Arctic Ice Could Mean Faster Internet for Some
Leave a CommentHave you ever wondered how an e-mail reaches your inbox from a co-worker in Europe? Or how a Facebook message gets to you from a cousin in Africa? The answer lies beneath the ocean. More than 745,000 miles of submarine cables featuring optical fiber make up most of the actual physical internet. These cables […]
Tags: Arctic Ocean, bandwidth capacity, big data, data centers, global internet, internet, low latency networks, smart devices, submarine fiber optic cable
Make Way for High-Density Fiber Optic Cables
Leave a CommentMore fiber density in less space. From 5G to data centers to FTTx, the picture is clear. Everyone uses more bandwidth than ever before. And while bandwidth demand may seem endless, the space to install fiber optic cable isn’t. That’s why being able to install more optical fiber in the same or less space can […]
Tags: bandwidth, central office, data centers, fiber optic cable, fiber optic cables, FTTx, high-density cables, internet, optical fiber
Rural Broadband Projects to Receive $97 Million Investment from USDA
Leave a CommentThe United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will invest $95 million to improve or expand access to broadband internet in the rural U.S. The 12 projects involved will include converting exchanges from copper to optical fiber and also building a fiber-to-the-home network to meet future demand. These projects will expand access to educational, social […]
Tags: #EconomicDevelopment, #OpticalFiber, #QualityOfLife, broadband, internet, rural
Optical Fiber “Senses” Surroundings
Leave a CommentCompanies use optical fiber as a sensor to detect changes in temperature and pressure. This technique is often used to monitor structures including bridges and gas pipelines. Now researchers at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale De Lausanne (EPFL) have discovered a new method where optical fibers can identify when they are in contact with a liquid […]
Tags: bridges, fiber optic sensing, gas pipelines, monitoring, optical fiber, optical sensing, sensing, sound waves
Invisibility Cloaking Could Help to Secure Data Sent Over Optical Fiber
Leave a CommentShades of Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak! A recent study in Optica describes a new way to achieve cloaking invisibility. In this method, researchers manipulated the frequency (color) of light waves passing through an object. This approach overcomes critical shortcomings in existing cloaking technologies. The research team says that this technique could help to secure data […]
Tags: broadband, internet security, light waves, optical fiber, spectral cloaking
