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News Release 04-088

A New Twist on Fiber Optics

Spiraling glass fibers provide new way to control behavior of light

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Chiral optical fiber

Chiral optical fiber created by Chiral Photonics. Fiber is less than 100 millionths of a meter in diameter.

Credit: Chiral Photonics, Inc.; National Science Foundation

 

Tapered chiral optical fiber

Tapered chiral optical fiber created by Chiral Photonics. Fiber is less than 100 millionths of a meter in diameter.

Credit: Chiral Photonics, Inc.; National Science Foundation

 

Illustration of beam of light made up of photons

View Video
This NSF animation demonstrates how a beam of unpolarized light can be filtered into a polarized beam by the periodic twist of a specially-made optical fiber.

Credit: Trent L. Schindler / National Science Foundation

 

Illustration of beam of light made up of protons

View Video
This NSF animation demonstrates how a beam of unpolarized light can be filtered into a polarized beam by the periodic twist of a specially-made optical fiber.

Credit: Trent L. Schindler / National Science Foundation