STEM与日常科技·英语30篇（2）
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How Optical Fibers Carry Internet Signals
光纤如何传输网络信号
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Optical fibers are hair-thin strands of ultra-pure glass that guide light pulses over hundreds of kilometers without serious loss.
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Signals start as electrical data from your router, which a laser converts into rapid on-off flashes of infrared light.
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Total internal reflection keeps light trapped inside the fiber’s core, bouncing smoothly along even around gentle bends.
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Multiple wavelengths — colors — of light travel simultaneously through one fiber using wavelength division multiplexing (WDM).
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Repeaters or optical amplifiers boost weak signals every 80–100 km, restoring strength without converting back to electricity.
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At the destination, photodetectors turn light pulses back into electrical signals your computer understands instantly.
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Compared to copper wires, fiber carries vastly more data, resists electromagnetic interference, and suffers less signal delay.
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A single fiber pair can stream over 10 million HD videos at once — enough for entire cities’ internet needs.
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Installation requires precision: bending too sharply causes light leakage, while dust on connectors creates signal loss or outages.
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Future upgrades focus on smarter signal processing and hollow-core fibers that may reduce latency further for finance or AI applications.