Side-emitting fibers brighten our world in new ways

Side-emitting optical fibres are flexible linear illuminators that are designed to promote leakage of the core transmitted radiation via their side surfaces. The glowing effect in these fibers can be achieved by micro-bending the fibers through adding specific scatterers or florescent additives into the fiber core, increasing the refractive index of the fiber cladding material. The principle behind the effect is the creation of side-emission effect by leaking some light from the fiber's core to its cladding and further via the outer jacket to the surrounding medium. Optical fibers fabricated from plastic materials can also be used to create the side-emission effect as well as plastic fibers absorb more light.