Fibre Optics - New Invention

It was reported in a recent press release that a new brand of optical fibres has been developed by a team of researchers at the University of Bath. The hollow-core fibres, which are as thin as hair, can pipe light around 90 degree corners and avoid the leaking of light at sharp corners (common with traditional optical chips), by using patterns of miniscule holes which are even too small for photons to squeeze through. The holes in fact transform the glass into a light insulator. The manufacture, however, of these very thin glass straws, is a difficult procedure and so their potential for use in telecommunications may be limited. (whole item)