[bloggie]

Fun and somewhat related fact - this is one of the main advantages of hollow-core transmission fibers! As far as I know, currently only used to extend the range of HFT orgs...

[itishappy]

Hollow core fiber? Total internal reflection requires the core to be a higher index of refraction than the cladding, so I wonder how that works!

Turns out, it functions differently. Instead of total internal refraction it has to rely on weird physics like photonic crystals. The pictures are absolutely wild.

https://www.rp-photonics.com/hollow_core_fibers.html

https://www.google.com/search?q=hollow+core+fiber&tbm=isch

[aaronax]

Fascinating; thanks for the links. I wonder how the splicing process works for that.

[ccakes]

Terrestrial radio links are similar in that they can be lower latency than fibre though spectrum concerns can come into play.

[brianwawok]

Radio links can also often be straighter. Easier to go over someone’s house then ask permission to dig a trench.