Research
A standard shortcut, used since the 1970s, hides a magneto-optic effect in ordinary glass fiber
Phys.org ·
The Brief
- Engineers at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits University) in Johannesburg report that a standard shortcut used to describe light in optical fibre since the 1970s hides a magneto-optic effect in ordinary glass fibre.
- The shortcut has been used for more than 50 years to describe light in optical fibre, and the source says it works so well it is rarely questioned.
- The finding is reported by Physics News, which summarises the work from the Wits engineers; the source excerpt does not give further experimental details.
Why it matters
Optical fibre models underpin much of fibre-optic communication and sensing, so a previously overlooked magneto-optic effect in standard glass fibre could matter for how researchers model and interpret fibre behaviour.
Who’s affected
- researchers and engineers working with optical fibre
- fibre-optic communication and sensing specialists
- #optical fibre
- #magneto-optics
- #photonics
- #glass fibre
- #wits university
For more than 50 years, engineers have described light in optical fiber using a convenient shortcut, one that works so well it is rarely questioned. Engineers at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits University) in Johannesburg, South Africa, have now shown that this shortcut…
Timeline
Physics News reports the Wits University findings on the magneto-optic effect in glass fibre
Physics News - Physics News, Material Sciences, Science News, Physics
A standard shortcut, used since the 1970s, hides a magneto-optic effect in ordinary glass fiber