# A standard shortcut, used since the 1970s, hides a magneto-optic effect in ordinary glass fiber

Source: [Physics News - Physics News, Material Sciences, Science News, Physics](https://phys.org/news/2026-11-standard-shortcut-1970s-magneto-optic.html) · 2026-11-11 · Physics
Page: https://themorning.science/story/a-standard-shortcut-used-since-the-1970s-hides-a-magneto-optic-effect-in-ordinar-bfc5f299ddb2f099
Kind: research · Impact: medium

## In 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.

## Timeline

- 2026-11-11: Physics News reports the Wits University findings on the magneto-optic effect in glass fibre

## Coverage

- [A standard shortcut, used since the 1970s, hides a magneto-optic effect in ordinary glass fiber](https://phys.org/news/2026-11-standard-shortcut-1970s-magneto-optic.html) — Physics News - Physics News, Material Sciences, Science News, Physics, 2026-11-11

Tags: optical fibre, magneto-optics, photonics, glass fibre, wits university

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Brief generated by AI (claude-haiku-5-5) from the reporting listed under Coverage. Headlines belong to their publishers. The Morning Science – https://themorning.science