fiber optics

American  

noun

(used with a singular verb)

1. the branch of optics that deals with the transmission of light through transparent fibers, as in the form of pulses for the transmission of data or communications, or through fiber bundles for the transmission of images.

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fiber optics Scientific  

1. Technology based on the use of hair-thin, transparent fibers to transmit light or infrared signals. The fibers are flexible and consist of a core of optically transparent glass or plastic, surrounded by a glass or plastic cladding that reflects the light signals back into the core. Light signals can be modulated to carry almost any other sort of signal, including sounds, electrical signals, and computer data, and a single fiber can carry hundreds of such signals simultaneously, literally at the speed of light. Signals that have weakened after travelling very long distances in the fibers can be optically pumped with lasers, amplifying them without the need to convert them into electrical signals. Optical fibers are relatively inexpensive to manufacture and install when compared with wire cables, and they require very little power and are easily laid out underground. Optical fibers are also used to transmit images focused on one end to the other end through circuitous paths, as in bronchoscopes and colonoscopes used in medical examinations.

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fiber optics Cultural  

1. A technology that uses specially designed bundles of transparent fibers to transmit light.

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Discover More

Some of the applications of fiber optics are in medicine, where it is used to view otherwise inaccessible parts of the body, and in telecommunications, where it is used to transmit data of all types.

Etymology

Origin of fiber optics

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

The 175-year-old company behind glass phone screens and fiber optics recently signed big deals with Nvidia, Meta and Amazon.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 14, 2026

In the latest study, scientists used optogenetics, a technique that uses fiber optics and light to activate specific brain cells.

From Science Daily • May 15, 2026

The company’s fiber optics business has been one of its fastest-growing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

That reflects higher capital expenditures: The company has been accelerating its spending on fiber optics, which deliver high-speed internet hookups to U.S. households.

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

The broad overinvestment in fiber cable is a gift that keeps on giving, thanks to the unique nature of fiber optics.

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman

Related Words

• optical fiber