Applications of Optical Fibres.

Fst 01 FIBRE OPTICS [USES] explanation by Student Help.

Applications of Optical Fibres

1.      Fibre optics finds many applications in areas like medicine and communications .

2.      Viewing inaccessible regions Instruments made of optical fibres, called endoscopes,

are used to see the internal organs of the human body, such as the interior of the stomach, or the bronchial tubes. Inserted into the body, some fibres of the bundle carry light so that the internal organ is lit up. Other fibres are used to return light so that the image of the interior is carried to the observer outside.

3.Endoscopes are often connected to a camera or TV monitor. Since these fibres are very fine, they can be inserted easily in the body.

4.The images are very useful in heart and brain surgery and in diagnosis of some other diseases.

Freeing crowded cableways

1.      The use of optical fibres has been very advantageous in telecommunications. .

2.      Signals of voice, text, computer data or picture transmissions are superimposed on laser beams.

3.      The , modulated laser beams are then guided along optical fibres, to various points where they are received.

4.       At the receiving end, one is able to hear the voice, read the data or see the picture.

5.       The signal carrying capacity of light waves is much greater than that of radio waves or waves along copper wires.

6.       Therefore, the light waves travelling in fibres can carry thousands of different signals. For instance, a pair of glass fibres can carry 1300 telephone calls at the same time, as against 24 for copper wires.

7.      The use of laser beams in optical fibres enables the transmission of signals for thousands of kilometres. Transatlantic undersea fibre-optic cables have been in use for communication between USA and UK. Instead of being broadcast from antennas, TV programme  can now be transmitted through fibre-optic cables.

8.      The cable TV can, thus, make available several channels to the viewer.

9.      Preliminary experiments on the use of fibre-optic technology in India are being done so that we can also take advantage of this technology in the coming years.

10.  Indian research laboratories have already developed the technology of producing the special I glass, drawing fibres from it and giving it a special coating so that internal reflection takes place with a minimum toss.

11. Indian industry is now manufacturing optical fibres.

12. The fibre optics technology has many advantages over the traditional technology.

13.  An optical fibre cable, the size of an ordinary electrical cord, can replace copper cable hundreds of times thicker. Optical fibres are light and sturdy.

14. They are much less expensive than copper wires for the amount of information they carry. Because optical fibres carry light beams, they are free from the disturbances  which are present on the radio due to nearby electric Disturbances.

15.  Fibre-optic communication is also advantageous for military communication because it cannot be "jammed".

16.  There may come a day when optical fibre cables enter many of our houses carrying not only telephone calls but also television programmes, communication from computers and electronic mail sent from person to person.