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A comment on How fast are those packets moving?. Parent comment

Re:How fast are those packets moving? by gsnedders on Friday November 24, 2017 @06:46AM (#15770596)
That looks like single mode fiber never refracts… Surely it can't go round any bend, then, though? (And I'm probably missing something obvious. It's been a while since I've done optics of any sort.)
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Re:How fast are those packets moving? by amazon_not on Friday November 24, 2017 @07:05AM (#15770647)
> That looks like single mode fiber never refracts…

No, it does.

> Surely it can't go round any bend, then, though?

No, if you bend the fiber too much the light leaks out into the cladding.

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Re:How fast are those packets moving? by rocqua on Friday November 24, 2017 @07:04AM (#15770643)
I believe the fiber acts as a waveguide, essentially keeping the wavefront perpendicular to the fiber at all times.
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