Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Hollow Optical Fibres Can Now Process Signals

Posted by timothy on from the computer-is-the-network dept.

Ami_Chan writes: "According to Nature, researchers at Bell Labs have created a new type of optical fibre. This fibre is hollow, and can be tuned to different wavelengths of light using 'plugs of fluid' and temperature changes within the fibre. This allows the fibres to process signals as well as transmit them. The full article is here."

1 of 108 comments (clear)

  1. Fluid plugs? by flatlineloc · · Score: 0, Redundant

    I'm more wondering if this type of system may be suseptable to massive variations in heat, as fluids (even though, yes, glass is a liquid technically) generally expand and contract at temperature gradiants. I don't think this would be a problem underground, or even above ground, but more along the sea floor. Maybe I've been watching too much discovery channel(at 3am of course), but it seems like the sea floor is a pretty intolerant and changing place. So I guess the liquid would have to have the same thermal properties as the glass itself. I'm not sure, the article didn't go into a lot of detail, so anyone have more information?