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american scientists have developed a new kind of wire that can carry telephone messages for long distances. the new fluoride glass wire, or optical fibre, is a major improvement over the optical fibres now used in many modern communication systems.
present optical fibres are made from silica glass. they are not costly to produce, but the signals carried by these silica optical fibres weaken very quickly. a repeater device must be built every 50 kilometers to increase or amplify the signals' strength. such repeater devices are costly and they need electrical power. this creates special problems for optical fibre systems that cross oceans. long copper wires are needed to carry electricity from shore to repeater devices under the ocean. repairing the underwater repeaters is costly and takes much time.
the new fluoride optical fibre is only a little bigger around than a human hair, yet each could carry 10,000 telephone messages at one time for thousands of kilometers. traditional copper telephone wires can carry only 4 messages. and unlike present silica optical fibres, the new fluoride glass wires could carry messages for thousands of kilometers with very few, if any, repeater devices.
the navy scientists developed the new optical fibres for systems that cross oceans, but they said there also would be many other uses for the fluoride glass wires. the new optical wires could be used for long-distance temperature sensing devices. they could be used in some medical operations.
american scientists have developed a new kind of wire that can carry telephone messages for long distances. the new fluoride glass wire, or optical fibre, is a major improvement over the optical fibres now used in many modern communication systems.
present optical fibres are made from silica glass. they are not costly to produce, but the signals carried by these silica optical fibres weaken very quickly. a repeater device must be built every 50 kilometers to increase or amplify the signals' strength. such repeater devices are costly and they need electrical power. this creates special problems for optical fibre systems that cross oceans. long copper wires are needed to carry electricity from shore to repeater devices under the ocean. repairing the underwater repeaters is costly and takes much time.
the new fluoride optical fibre is only a little bigger around than a human hair, yet each could carry 10,000 telephone messages at one time for thousands of kilometers. traditional copper telephone wires can carry only 4 messages. and unlike present silica optical fibres, the new fluoride glass wires could carry messages for thousands of kilometers with very few, if any, repeater devices.
the navy scientists developed the new optical fibres for systems that cross oceans, but they said there also would be many other uses for the fluoride glass wires. the new optical wires could be used for long-distance temperature sensing devices. they could be used in some medical operations.