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New Optical Fiber Replaces Glass With Semiconductive Core
cylonlover writes "Fiber optic cables can transmit over a terabyte of information per second – but that doesn't mean there still isn't room for improvement. One of those improvements, which was officially announced today, involves replacing the silica glass core of fiber optic strands with semiconductive zinc selenide. This new class of fiber optics, invented and created at Penn State University, is said to 'allow for a more effective and liberal manipulation of light.' The technology could have applications in the fields of medicine, defense, and environmental monitoring."
They need it to monitor us criminals, terrorists, and subversives.
Yeah, good idea. I'm pretty sure I read something about the need for this technology in an HBGary email or two...
ohh, again that liberal manipulation! where are those god fearing wires when you need them?
The article only states that the wavelength can be modified easier. But will the "new fiber" have the ability to transmit over long(er) distances compared to the traditional ones?
OK. I like this idea. a few % will be worth it.
Article and summary are misleading ... the main application is that zinc selenide cores are better than glass at longer wavelengths (so infrared lasers - like the ones the military are very keen on - become more possible). They also suggest it would enable artistic installations to do more fancy stuff with colours.
The potential bandwidth improvements over long-distance glass core fiber optic cables are not mentioned as significant, and it sounds like it would uneconomical anyway given that the manufacturing of these zinc selenide cores doesn't sound easy.
I'd tell a UDP joke, but you may not get it. I'd tell a TCP joke, but I'd have to keep repeating it until you got it.
If it's semi-conductive, does it need to be earthed over a long run?
One advantage of fibre is the electrical isolation, no interference, and no potential difference between buildings.
Does having a semicondictive core erase that?
The new fiber is said to "allow for a more effective and liberal manipulation of light."
Upon hearing this news Speaker of the House John Boehner announced a bill to ban all Federal optical fiber research, saying it was further evidence of a "dangerous liberal bias in the research community."
I've never heard of zinc selenide so I looked it up.
Sounds hazardous. On the plus side maybe it will kill the rats that chew through the fiber optics.
I couldn't easily find out how abundant and cheap the material is.
Personally I don't think you can get too much cheaper than silica but then again I've got no clue what I'm talking about.
You really don't want your data running over low grade unreliable SiO4 fibre.
You can only trust your data on Carnegie Glass's high quality ZnSe fibre. It's the only way to be sure.
Ask your ISP today if they use Carnegie ZnSe fibre in their infrastructure. Insist on only the best.
This has been a public service announcement from Carnegie Glass.
I will care when I can get this to my house and I have a computer that can take advantage of those speeds. So I can stream my pro... err netflix movies and let the wife play her facebook games at the same time.
I'll bet the first post did travel over fiber optics somewhere along its path.
Having said that, it appears that the technology mentioned in the article has nothing to do with data transmission over fiber optics. The examples given in the article include fiber optics "used for signs, displays, and art." There's also a brief mention of military lasers.
They make these new fibers by starting with hollow glass capillaries, then chemically depositing within. Try doing that to make a 1000 foot continuous fiber, which is a common bulk spool size. The article, unlike the summary, makes absolutely no mention of any potential for data transmission usage.
"National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
It is hard to get the CO2 laser beam into the required area of the brain, precisely because no fiber would transmit the IR (wavelength = 10.6 micrometers) light. They are using a very clumsy pivoting arm with mirrors type of device for beam guiding which limits the ability to operate using CO2 lasers to superficial parts of the brain. Given the much better coagulative properties and larger penetration depth into biological tissue of the 10.6 micrometer light as opposed to, say, currently used YAG lasers (wavelength 1 to 2 micrometers, depending on the doping atoms) I expect this discovery to enable a whole new range of laser based surgical procedures.
The quality of scientific reporting at gizmag and all those tech-tabloids is pretty appalling, though. Seriously it is the fricken web, the thing was invented to make referring to original/more advanced sources easier. How hard it is to put a damn link to the publication or at least the uni press release!?
They shouldn't have replaced the broadly available telegraph lines with an expensive glass thing in first place. Anyway, no one is going to replace anything until it is proven "cost-befitable".
Open Source Network Inventory for the masses! Kuwaiba
I think this is what the wave of network improvements that the world needs. But, I wonder when it will be implemented, maybe in Asia. Here in the Philippines, we are still stuck with the 1MBPS for home usage and 12MPBS for companies, which is our total bandwidth.
Uhhh, zinc selenide is neither of those things. It is not soluble in water, so it is not toxic. The feedstock is about twice the price right now, but that will come down with increased production volume.
But hey, change is bad, right, so fuck it.
Maybe I'm way off base, but when I read TFS I immediately thought of Light Peak / Thunderbolt.
Distributed by Monster Cables?
I drank what? -- Socrates
'allow for a more effective and liberal manipulation of light.'
it is bad enough this communist secret muslim obama is turning us into a freedom destroying country by giving us better healthcare. now his vile fascist liberal agenda is to manipulate the physical properties of light itself? as a solid conservative, i will not abide it
photons are conservative particles: conservation of mass-energy, conservation of momentum, etc. those evil liberals want to turn this good god-fearing conservative particle with possibly homosexual physical manipulations? no, not on my watch. the liberals will not mess with the laws of nature, like evolution
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
s/SiO4/SiO2/
Water solubility isn't a requirement for toxicity. Hg for instance isn't water soluble, but is definitely toxic. Likewise, I wouldn't recommend drinking motor oil, because while it isn't water soluble, it's definitely toxic.
Terabytes per second: Does that mean that space diverse backups can be done?
Curious. Couldn't find a recent publication, but here is an article from 2006 with the same title and subject. http://tanzanite.chem.psu.edu/pdfs/806_Optoelectronics%20Reprint.pdf
most of us are stuck with a copper last mile.
Be seeing you...