Aspects of the embodiments are directed to systems and methods for forming an optical fiber in a low gravity environment, and an optical fiber formed in a low gravity environment. The system can include a preform holder configured to secure a preform; a heating element secured to a heating element stage and residing adjacent the preform holder; a heating element stage motor configured to move the heating element stage; a tension sensor; a spool; a spool tension motor coupled to the spool and configured to rotate the spool; and a control system communicably coupled to the heating element stage motor and the spool tension motor and configured to control the movement of the heating element stage based on a rotational speed of the spool. The optical fiber can include a fluoride composition, such ZrF4-BaF2-LaF3-AlF3-NaF (ZBLAN), and can be characterized by an insertion loss in a range from 13 dB/1000 km to 120 dB/1000 km.

Methods for producing an optical fiber by elongating a silica glass blank or a coaxial group of silica glass components, on the basis of which a fiber is obtained that comprises a core zone, an inner jacket zone enclosing the core zone and a ring zone surrounding the inner jacket zone, are known. In order to provide, proceeding from this, a method, a tubular semi-finished product and a group of coaxial components for the cost-effective production of an optical fiber, which is characterized by a high quality of the boundary between the core and jacket and by low bending sensitivity, according to the invention, the silica glass of the ring zone is provided in the form of a ring zone tube made of silica glass having a mean fluorine content of at least 6000 weight ppm and the tube has an inner tube surface and an outer tube surface, wherein via the wall of the ring zone tube, a radial fluorine concentration profile is adjusted which has an inner fluorine depletion layer with a layer thickness of at least 1 m and no more than 10 m, in which the fluorine content decreases toward the inner tube surface and is no more than 3000 weight ppm in a region close to the surface which has a thickness of 1 m.

Aspects of the embodiments are directed to systems and methods for forming an optical fiber in a low gravity environment, and an optical fiber formed in a low gravity environment. The system can include a preform holder configured to secure a preform; a heating element secured to a heating element stage and residing adjacent the preform holder; a heating element stage motor configured to move the heating element stage; a tension sensor; a spool; a spool tension motor coupled to the spool and configured to rotate the spool; and a control system communicably coupled to the heating element stage motor and the spool tension motor and configured to control the movement of the heating element stage based on a rotational speed of the spool. The optical fiber can include a fluoride composition, such ZrF4-BaF2-LaF3-AlF3-NaF (ZBLAN), and can be characterized by an insertion loss in a range from 13 dB/1000 km to 120 dB/1000 km.

Aspects of the embodiments are directed to systems and methods for forming an optical fiber in a low gravity environment, and an optical fiber formed in a low gravity environment. The system can include a preform holder configured to secure a preform; a heating element secured to a heating element stage and residing adjacent the preform holder; a heating element stage motor configured to move the heating element stage; a tension sensor; a spool; a spool tension motor coupled to the spool and configured to rotate the spool; and a control system communicably coupled to the heating element stage motor and the spool tension motor and configured to control the movement of the heating element stage based on a rotational speed of the spool. The optical fiber can include a fluoride composition, such ZrF4-BaF2-LaF3-AlF3-NaF (ZBLAN), and can be characterized by an insertion loss in a range from 13 dB/1000 km to 120 dB/1000 km.

A multicore fiber includes a plurality of unit multicore fibers each including: a plurality of core portions; and a clad portion which is formed in an outer circumference of the core portions and has a refractive index lower than a maximum refractive index of the core portions. The plurality of the core portions have substantially same refractive index profile and different group delays at same wavelength in same propagation mode. The core portions of the multicore fiber are configured so that the core portions of the plurality of the unit multicore fibers are connected in cascade, a maximum value of differential group delays between the core portions of the multicore fiber is smaller than a reduced value of a maximum value of differential group delays between the core portions of each unit multicore fiber as a value in terms of a length of the multicore fiber.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for fiber and/or fiber perform production and in particular, optical fiber and optical fiber preform production in which a fiber substrate and a multilayered preform can be continuously produced. The layered preform is constructed from particles deposited from one or more aerosol streams containing multicomponent particles wherein individual particles have the ratio of components as desired in the perform layer. Preferably, the components of the aerosol particles have a sub-particle structure in which the subparticle structure dimensions are smaller than the particle diameter and more preferably smaller than the wavelength of light and more preferably on the molecular scale. Preferably, the particles are deposited on the perform substrate via one or more deposition units. Multiple deposition units can be operated simultaneously and/or in series. As the preform is synthesized, it can be simultaneously fed into a drawing furnace for continuous production of fiber. The method can also be used for batch production of fiber preforms and fiber.

The present invention relates to a method (300) for drawing an optical fiber (101) having step of stacking (302) at least two glass sub-preforms of a plurality of glass sub-preforms (114a-114n) inside a hollow cylindrical glass tube (108) to form a master glass preform (130) and melting (304) the bottom end (134) of the master glass preform (130) in a furnace (110) to continuously draw an optical fiber (101). In particular, the at least two glass sub-preforms are stacked in such that the master glass preform has a top end (132) and a bottom end (134) and each of the glass sub-preforms is defined by a first end (126) and a second end (128). Further, the first end (126) of a successive glass sub-preform is stacked on the second end (128) of a previous glass sub-perform such that the successive glass sub-preform rests on the previous glass sub-preform.

Systems and methods for drawing high aspect ratio metallic glass-based materials are provided. Methods of drawing a high aspect ratio metallic glass-based material are premised on stably drawing high aspect ratio metallic glass-based material from a preform metallic glass-based composition, accounting for the relationships between: the desired formation of an amorphous structure that is substantially homogenous along the majority of the length of the drawn high aspect ratio material; the desired final geometry of the drawn high aspect ratio material; the nature of the force that is used to draw the molten metallic glass-based composition; the velocity at which the high aspect ratio material is drawn; the viscosity profile of the material along its length as it is being drawn; and/or the effect of temperature on the metallic glass-based material. A precise thermal treatment is imposed along the forming length of the drawn material so as to enable a steady state drawing process, the precise thermal treatment being based on: the desire to develop a substantially same amorphous structure along the length of the drawn material; the desired final geometry for the drawn material; the nature of the force used to draw the material; the velocity at which the material is being drawn; and/or the thermal treatment's impact on the viscosity profile of the material along its length as it is being drawn.

A multicore fiber includes a plurality of unit multicore fibers each including: a plurality of core portions; and a clad portion which is formed in an outer circumference of the core portions and has a refractive index lower than a maximum refractive index of the core portions. The plurality of the core portions have substantially same refractive index profile and different group delays at same wavelength in same propagation mode. The core portions of the multicore fiber are configured so that the core portions of the plurality of the unit multicore fibers are connected in cascade, a maximum value of differential group delays between the core portions of the multicore fiber is smaller than a reduced value of a maximum value of differential group delays between the core portions of each unit multicore fiber as a value in terms of a length of the multicore fiber.