Experts are constantly working to improve fiber-optic technology and find ways to make fiber-optic networks even faster. There are many factors that influence data transfer speeds within a fiber-optic network. Experts have now discovered that the shape of fiber-optic cables may also affect transfer speeds. In this article, we’ll tell you all about it!
Square fiber-optic cables instead of round ones?
Optical fibers, also known as glass fibers, make the high-speed internet we’ve come to expect around the world today possible. The demand for faster and more efficient data transmission continues to grow, especially with the advent of Artificial Intelligence. That’s why scientists and researchers are constantly seeking innovations and ways to optimize fiber-optic technology and make it even faster. In a recent study, experts at the University of Iowa discovered that an alternative fiber geometry can improve data transmission speeds. This research focused on rectangular fibers instead of the traditional circular cross-section. These findings could improve not only telecommunications but also the emerging field of photonic quantum computing.
The difference between optical communication and other methods
Optical communication uses light traveling through transparent fibers to transmit information. Unlike traditional communication methods, which rely on electrical signals or radio waves, fiber-optic technology offers a number of significant advantages over traditional communication methods:
- Optical signals lose very little speed as they are transmitted over longer distances;
- Data transfer rates can sometimes reach hundreds of gigabytes per second;
- A fiber-optic network is virtually impossible to hack.
These advantages are particularly evident in multimode fibers. In multimode fibers, multiple light paths—known as modes—allow multiple signals to travel simultaneously. However, multimode fibers also present a number of challenges.
The Challenges of Multimode Fiber
What are the challenges associated with multimode fibers? One of these challenges is signal distortion. Light traveling along different paths does not always arrive at the cable’s output at the same time or in the same position. This problem is sometimes further complicated by the fact that optical signals consist of multiple wavelengths, each moving at a slightly different speed and following unique paths. As a result, the output may appear distorted—and in some cases actually is. This is a challenge that experts are currently conducting extensive research on. Strategies are needed to improve correlations between waves of different frequencies that make up the signal.
Could modifying the shape of fiber-optic cables help?
Currently, we use a circular core for most optical fibers. The reason for this is that this shape makes it easier to manufacture the fibers. In addition, this shape makes it easier to align fibers with connectors and other optical components. However, research now shows that other shapes offer many advantages. In a study published in Advanced Photonics Research, experts investigated how light propagates through submillimeter-sized fibers with circular and rectangular cross-sections. In this way, the researchers sought to determine whether a different shape could improve frequency correlations.
What is the conclusion?
They investigated how laser pulses consisting of multiple wavelengths propagate through different fiber shapes. The results showed that rectangular fibers offered several advantages, despite the fact that they are more complicated to manufacture. The findings from the study suggest that rectangular optical fibers could improve the capacity of optical communication channels by about 20% compared to optical fibers with a circular cross-section. That’s quite a lot!