Molex develops optical bench measures for astronomy applications
Business Wire
LISLE - Molex has developed a Polymicro Technologies optical bench to test and validate optical fibers used in astronomy applications.
The optical bench measures focal ratio degradation (FRD) in specific optical fiber samples to determine if the fibers are appropriate for astronomy applications.
"Multimode optical fiber has revolutionized the way astronomers look at stars and other objects in space by enabling highly stable, remotely mounted, multi-object spectrographs," said Teodor Tichindelean, global product manager for Polymicro Technologies, Molex. "Optical fibers allow the observation of hundreds of objects in the sky simultaneously by transporting light from a telescope to a spectrograph."
However, light loss in systems employing multimode optical fibers can be manifested as beam spreading, or FRD. Beam spreading produces resolution loss and inconsistent images in spectrographs. To reduce light losses, instrument designers must quantify FRD and minimize its impact prior to developing key components. The new optical bench performs those measurements.
The Polymicro Technologies unit in Phoenix is in the process of testing "golden standard" samples of optical fiber cables that have already been verified as acceptable for astronomy applications. By comparing the testing results of new fiber optic cables to the golden standard samples from its customers, the optical bench can verify or reject new Polymicro Technologies fibers. The samples are being compared and cataloged for future reference.
Over the past 10 years, Polymicro Technologies FBP broad spectrum optical fiber has become the accepted standard for fiber system designers, according to Tichindelean. Polymicro Technologies FBP optical fiber is typically used in astronomy applications.
"Optical fibers that are pretested for FRD performance can reduce the time and cost of developing new spectrographs," said Tichindelean. "We use the optical bench as a diagnostic tool to identify, quantify and potentially minimize sources of FRD and improve fiber and instrument performance."