For Researchers · Fiber Optics
Fiber Optics for a laser pointer
Built for researchers prototyping or validating an idea. Prototype fast, reproduce exactly, and share a citable, interactive version of your model. Simulate a laser pointer live below — adjust the inputs and watch it respond, right in your browser.
Fiber OpticsLive
total internal reflection
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An optical fiber traps light in a high-index core surrounded by lower-index cladding: rays hitting the boundary above the critical angle undergo total internal reflection and bounce down the fiber for kilometers. The numerical aperture sets the acceptance cone, and the core size decides whether it carries one mode (single-mode, for long-haul) or many (multimode).
Data Inspector
Critical angle80.6°
Numerical aperture0.242
Acceptance angle14.0°
Fiber typemultimode (~423)
Governing equation
Reading this result: Rays steeper than the 80.6° critical angle reflect and stay trapped; here V = 29.1 allows ~423 modes, so this behaves as multimode fiber — cheap and easy to launch, but modal dispersion caps the bandwidth.
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- Is this good for researchers?
- Yes — this version of "Fiber Optics for a laser pointer" is framed for researchers prototyping or validating an idea. Prototype fast, reproduce exactly, and share a citable, interactive version of your model.
- Do I need to install anything?
- No. It runs in any modern browser, free, with no account required.