Introduction

Optical fiber is made of glass or plastic. It is very long and thin. Many of these optical fibers are gathered in straps and bundled into one cable. The main use of optical fiber is to transmit light signals from one end of the fiber to the other end. This makes it suitable for many applications. Examples include sensors, illumination, imaging, communications and computer networking. There are two types of optical fiber, Single Mode and Multi-Mode. Single Mode Fiber is used for longer distances and higher bandwidths. Multi-Mode is cheaper and more often used for shorter distances. The core of Single Mode Fiber ranges from 8 to 10 microns. The core of Multi- Mode Fiber ranges from 50 to 100 microns.

Background and History

Optical fiber has gone through five generations of development. The first generation had bandwidth of 2-140Mbps and worked with light that had wavelengths of 810-900nm. In the second generation, the wavelength got increased to 1,300nm. The loss in the fiber was also reduced to 1db per kilometer. In the third generation optical fiber, Single Mode Fiber was introduced. It worked with light of 1,300nm wavelength with a loss of at ldb per kilometer. This made it suitable for longer distances (upto 40km). In the fourth generation, the working wavelength was increased to 1,550nm and the loss was also reduced. This gave a total bandwidth of 10Gbps. In the fifth generation, optical fiber has gone through even more advancements and the limiting factor for greater bandwidth was no longer the optical fiber. The limitations now lie in the active components that transmit the light signals through the optical fibers.

Research Questions

What are optical fibers used for? How many of those applications are being used in Oman? What does the Omani public know about optical fiber and its applications?

Objectives

Our objectives in choosing this topic were to find out how much the Omani public knows about optical fiber and its applications in general. Then to find out how much of those applications are being used in Oman and how many of those applications the Omani public is aware about. In our opinion, we do not think that many people know about optical fiber and its applications. We want to either confirm it or disprove it.

Interest

We aim to increase the Omani public's awareness of optical fiber applications in general and its applications in Oman in particular. We believe that by increasing the public's awareness or curiosity about the subject, we can get them interested to specialize in this interesting field of science. We believe that optical fiber is very essential in modern technology and it deserves more publicity.

Methodology

We will first do some desk research to find out as much as we can about the different uses of optical fiber. We would then give a questionnaire to the Omani public to find out how much they know about the different uses of optical fiber. Field trips and interviews with engineers involved in the optical fiber industry in Oman would follow. This will allow us to find out what are optical fibers used for in Oman in the different organizations. Finally, a different questionnaire would be given to a more carefully selected sample of the public to find out how much they know of optical fiber applications in Oman. This sample of the public will be chosen from people who are in the technology industry, but arc not directly involved with optical fiber.