fiberoptischer

Fiberoptischer is a German-derived adjective used to describe fiber-optic technology. In English, the standard term is fiber-optic or fiber optic. The concept refers to systems that transmit information as light through thin strands of glass or plastic, called optical fibers.

An optical fiber typically consists of a dense core surrounded by a cladding with a lower refractive index. Light is guided along the length of the fiber by total internal reflection at the core–cladding boundary. Fibers can be single-mode, with a small core that carries a single light path, or multimode, with a larger core that supports multiple paths. Silica-based fibers are common in telecommunications, while polymer optical fibers offer greater flexibility at higher losses.

Key components of fiber-optic systems include light sources (such as laser diodes or LEDs), detectors (photodiodes), cables, connectors, and splices, as well as transceivers and amplifiers used in signal processing and multiplexing. Common transmission wavelengths for communications lie in the near-infrared, including around 850, 1310, and 1550 nanometers; 1550 nm, in particular, offers very low attenuation for long-distance links.

Applications span telecommunications and the internet, data centers, cable television, medical imaging and endoscopy, as well as industrial sensing (for example, fiber Bragg gratings), environmental monitoring, and aerospace and defence systems. Advantages of fiber-optic technology include very high bandwidth, low electromagnetic interference, and the potential for long-range transmission with low signal loss, while challenges include fragility, installation costs, and the need for careful splicing and connectorization.