{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.optical-fiber","code":"thing-q162","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q162/","name":"optical fiber","alternateNames":["photonic-crystal fiber","hard-clad silica optical fiber","multi-mode optical fiber","single-mode optical fiber","subwavelength-diameter optical fibre","all-silica fiber","plastic-clad silica fiber","plastic optical fiber"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.1.0-research.1","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Physical world and living systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"PHY","domain":["PHY.OBJ"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"An optical fiber is a slender light-conducting waveguide that confines and transmits light along its length through an optical structure, commonly a higher-index glass or polymer core surrounded by lower-index cladding, but also including hollow-core and other fiber designs that use different guidance mechanisms.","purpose":"Enable an AI agent to recognise an optical fiber, assess its optical and physical condition, and decide whether it can be handled, joined, installed or used for a specified light-guiding task.","scope":{"in":["Individual glass, polymer or specialty optical fibers and identifiable segments","Core, cladding or other structures responsible for longitudinal optical guidance","Fiber dimensions, integral protective coatings and exposed surfaces","Optical behaviour under stated wavelengths and test conditions","Physical integrity, end preparation, joins and handling limits","Identity and continuity of a fiber within a larger assembly"],"out":["Cable jackets, strength members, armor and cable-level environmental ratings","Connector assemblies, adapters, splice enclosures and patch panels as separate objects","Lasers, transmitters, receivers and optical test instruments","Network topology, protocols, service provisioning and traffic performance","Complete sensing instruments and application-specific interpretation of their signals","Planar waveguides, free-space optical paths and conductive electrical wires"],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["An identifiable slender strand guides light along its length through an internal optical structure; optical transparency alone does not establish that an object is an optical fiber.","The entity is the light-guiding strand, possibly with integral coatings, rather than the cable assembly containing jackets, strength members and one or more fibers.","Its guidance structure belongs to a discrete strand rather than a waveguide patterned into a planar substrate.","Its intended longitudinal transmission is optical rather than electrical; metallic members associated with a cable do not define the fiber.","It remains the same kind of thing when unterminated; attached ferrules, connectors or housings are related components rather than prerequisites for identifying it."],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"strand-identity-and-boundaries","name":"Strand identity and boundaries","description":"Establishes which optical strand is being modelled and where the represented segment begins and ends.","layers":[{"id":"segment-identity","name":"Segment identity","description":"Identifies the fiber independently of its surrounding cable and attached hardware.","findings":[{"id":"strand-identification","name":"Strand identification","description":"Records the evidence connecting the represented object to a particular light-guiding strand.","questions":[{"text":"What establishes that this object is an optical fiber, and which strand or segment does its identifier denote?","id":"strand-identification-q01","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which manufacturer designation, lot record, marking or trace establishes its identity?","id":"strand-identification-q02","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"ends-and-assembly-membership","name":"Ends and assembly membership","description":"Locates segment boundaries and distinguishes the strand from its containing assemblies.","findings":[{"id":"physical-and-recorded-boundaries","name":"Physical and recorded boundaries","description":"Records endpoints, length and assembly position with explicit treatment of joins.","questions":[{"text":"Where are the segment's two ends, and does this record stop at each splice or cover a joined path?","id":"physical-and-recorded-boundaries-q01","kind":"boundary"},{"text":"What is its length, how was that length determined, and which cable, ribbon or fiber position contains it?","id":"physical-and-recorded-boundaries-q02","kind":"measurement"}]}]}]},{"id":"guiding-structure-and-materials","name":"Guiding structure and materials","description":"Describes the construction that makes the strand guide light and constrains compatible processes.","layers":[{"id":"optical-cross-section","name":"Optical cross-section","description":"Captures the relevant material and internal geometry without presuming a conventional solid core.","findings":[{"id":"guidance-construction","name":"Guidance construction","description":"Identifies the documented light-guiding structure and its distinguishing dimensions.","questions":[{"text":"What materials and index profile or microstructure provide optical guidance in this fiber?","id":"guidance-construction-q01","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which core, cladding or microstructure dimensions are known, with what tolerances and evidence?","id":"guidance-construction-q02","kind":"measurement"}]}]},{"id":"coatings-and-process-compatibility","name":"Coatings and process compatibility","description":"Separates integral surface protection from surrounding cable components.","findings":[{"id":"protective-surface-system","name":"Protective surface system","description":"Records coatings and their implications for stripping, cleaning and joining.","questions":[{"text":"Which coating layers belong to this fiber, and where does responsibility pass to a buffer or cable model?","id":"protective-surface-system-q01","kind":"boundary"},{"text":"Which stripping, cleaning and joining processes are documented as compatible with these materials?","id":"protective-surface-system-q02","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"optical-operating-behaviour","name":"Optical operating behaviour","description":"Captures wavelength-dependent guidance and transmission characteristics relevant to intended use.","layers":[{"id":"wavelength-and-mode-compatibility","name":"Wavelength and mode compatibility","description":"Relates the fiber's supported optical behaviour to a proposed source and coupling arrangement.","findings":[{"id":"supported-operating-regime","name":"Supported operating regime","description":"Records the evidence for usable wavelengths, modal regime and coupling parameters.","questions":[{"text":"At the intended wavelength, what modal regime and applicable mode-field diameter or numerical aperture are established?","id":"supported-operating-regime-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Which source, launch and receiving conditions must be satisfied for the proposed use?","id":"supported-operating-regime-q02","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"loss-and-signal-propagation","name":"Loss and signal propagation","description":"Distinguishes propagation characteristics from losses introduced by particular interfaces or arrangements.","findings":[{"id":"transmission-evidence","name":"Transmission evidence","description":"Records loss and relevant dispersion, bandwidth or polarization behaviour with test context.","questions":[{"text":"What attenuation and task-relevant propagation characteristics were measured, at which wavelengths and under which launch and environmental conditions?","id":"transmission-evidence-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Which reported losses belong to the fiber length, and which include bends, splices, connectors or test coupling?","id":"transmission-evidence-q02","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"integrity-and-handling-envelope","name":"Integrity and handling envelope","description":"Connects observed condition and exposure history to permitted handling and continued use.","layers":[{"id":"damage-and-continuity","name":"Damage and continuity","description":"Records direct observations and test evidence of breaks, local loss and surface damage.","findings":[{"id":"localized-condition","name":"Localized condition","description":"Locates suspected defects and separates observations from inferred causes.","questions":[{"text":"What evidence establishes continuity, and where are breaks, abnormal loss events or visible coating and surface defects located?","id":"localized-condition-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Which inspections or tests support each condition assessment, and what parts of the segment were not assessed?","id":"localized-condition-q02","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"mechanical-and-environmental-limits","name":"Mechanical and environmental limits","description":"Records sourced constraints for bending, loading and exposure.","findings":[{"id":"permitted-handling-conditions","name":"Permitted handling conditions","description":"Relates applicable limits and known excursions to routing, storage and service decisions.","questions":[{"text":"What documented bend, tensile load, temperature and exposure limits apply to this fiber in its present coated or stripped condition?","id":"permitted-handling-conditions-q01","kind":"action"},{"text":"What proof-test, handling or exposure records exist, and do they document any excursions beyond those limits?","id":"permitted-handling-conditions-q02","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"ends-joining-and-use-readiness","name":"Ends, joining and use readiness","description":"Determines whether the fiber can be accessed, coupled, joined and accepted for a specified task.","layers":[{"id":"end-preparation-and-joining","name":"End preparation and joining","description":"Records each end's physical condition and compatibility with an intended joining method.","findings":[{"id":"end-interface-condition","name":"End interface condition","description":"Connects end inspection and fiber properties to a concrete preparation or joining decision.","questions":[{"text":"For each end, what stripped length, cleave or polish condition, contamination and damage have been observed?","id":"end-interface-condition-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"What preparation and joining method is suitable for the mating fiber or termination, and what compatibility evidence supports it?","id":"end-interface-condition-q02","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"intervention-and-acceptance","name":"Intervention and acceptance","description":"Combines optical access conditions and task-specific acceptance evidence.","findings":[{"id":"readiness-for-specified-task","name":"Readiness for specified task","description":"Records whether an intended intervention or use is supported by current evidence.","questions":[{"text":"Before inspecting an end, cutting or disconnecting, what evidence establishes the optical source state and the required isolation or viewing precautions?","id":"readiness-for-specified-task-q01","kind":"action"},{"text":"Which measurements and condition checks must pass for the intended use, and what retesting is required after preparation, joining or rerouting?","id":"readiness-for-specified-task-q02","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"evidence-and-external-alignment","name":"Evidence and external alignment","description":"What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.","layers":[{"id":"reported-evidence","name":"Reported evidence","description":"Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.","findings":[{"id":"evidence-kinds","name":"Kinds and varieties","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of optical fiber this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-kinds-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-identifiers","name":"Identifiers and schemes","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of optical fiber this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-identifiers-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-standards-and-regulation","name":"Standards and regulation","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of optical fiber this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-standards-and-regulation-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-real-world-use","name":"Real-world use","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of optical fiber this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-real-world-use-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-measurements","name":"Typical measurements","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of optical fiber this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-measurements-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-failure-modes-and-hazards","name":"Failure modes and hazards","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of optical fiber this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-failure-modes-and-hazards-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-regional-variation","name":"Regional variation","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of optical fiber this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-regional-variation-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-neighbours","name":"Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of optical fiber this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-neighbours-q01","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Install, test and monitor fibre links it is authorized to work on.","Report attenuation, breaks and connector faults to the operator."],"mustNot":["Look into a fibre end or connector that may be carrying light.","Tap, splice into or intercept fibres it is not authorized to access.","Leave glass fibre offcuts where they can pierce skin or be swallowed.","Dig or cut where buried fibre has not been located."],"requiresHuman":["Cutting or rerouting live fibre that carries others' services."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Fibre carries essential communications, and cuts or interception affect many people."],"affectedParties":["Network users","Technicians","Network operators"]},"owners":{"steward":"The network operator that owns the cable.","roles":[],"masterSystems":["Utility and network asset records"]},"relations":[{"target":"Q3191702","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q354724","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q5861","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.optical-fiber","Wikidata: Q162 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q162)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"required","items":["Guidance structure: Solid-core index-guiding, hollow-core, other documented structure, unknown","Optical material: Silica-based glass, other glass, polymer, mixed materials, unknown","Segment length: m, with measurement method and uncertainty","Cross-sectional dimensions: µm for applicable core, cladding, microstructure and coating dimensions","Modal regime: Single-mode, few-mode, multimode, unknown; at a stated wavelength and condition","Mode-field diameter: µm at a stated wavelength and method, where applicable","Attenuation coefficient: dB/km at a stated wavelength, method and configuration","Dispersion or bandwidth behaviour: ps/(nm·km) or MHz·km as applicable, with wavelength and test conditions","Minimum permitted bend radius: mm, with source and installation or service conditions","Coating condition: Intact, locally stripped, damaged, degraded, unknown","End and continuity condition: End preparation and continuity recorded separately for each identified segment","Assembly and endpoint associations: Containing cable or ribbon, fiber position, endpoint, connector and splice references"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"required","items":["Thin glass strand inside a coloured coating, often bundled in cables.","Cables marked with fibre or laser warning labels.","Small connectors with a ceramic or polished glass tip."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["Identify and trace a strand between declared endpoints within a cable or assembly.","Characterise transmission, loss and propagation behaviour under recorded test conditions.","Inspect coatings and ends, locate suspected defects and assess suitability for continued use.","Prepare, cleave, splice or terminate the fiber using a process compatible with its construction.","Route, coil and secure the fiber within documented bending, loading and environmental constraints.","Qualify the fiber for a specified optical task or identify evidence needed before use."]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Eye injury from invisible laser light.","Glass splinters in skin or eyes.","Service outages from cuts and bends."]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["IEC 60825-2, Safety of laser products - Safety of optical fibre communication systems, International Electrotechnical Commission.","ITU-T Recommendation G.652, Characteristics of a single-mode optical fibre and cable, International Telecommunication Union."]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Optical fiber carries light through telecommunications networks, data links and imaging instruments.","It also guides illumination or laser energy and serves as a sensing element for quantities such as strain and temperature.","Selection and installation depend on operating wavelength, supported modes, attenuation and mechanical handling limits."]}},"sources":[{"title":"Recommendation ITU-T G.652: Characteristics of a single-mode optical fibre and cable","url":"https://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-G.652","note":"Definition of standard single-mode fibre, cutoff, mode-field diameter, attenuation windows, chromatic dispersion of G.652.D, and the distinction from G.654/G.657 families."},{"title":"IEC 60793-2: Optical fibres - Product specifications (sectional specifications for class A multimode and class B single-mode fibres)","url":"","note":"Product classes used in manufacture and procurement (A1 multimode, B1.3/B6 single-mode), geometry (125 µm cladding), proof test, and numerical-aperture / bandwidth categories that map to OM/OS naming."},{"title":"ISO/IEC 11801-1: Information technology - Generic cabling for customer premises - Part 1: General requirements","url":"","note":"Premises cabled-fibre categories OS1, OS2, OM1-OM5 and how those names are used in buildings and data centres, distinct from bare-fibre ITU-T/IEC type codes."},{"title":"IEC 60825-2: Safety of laser products - Part 2: Safety of optical fibre communication systems (OFCS)","url":"","note":"Hazard classification of live fibre ends, automatic power reduction, and the laser-safety regime that governs installed fibre plant rather than the glass itself."},{"title":"Wikidata item Q162: optical fiber","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q162","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Optical fiber","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_fiber","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["With no registry definition recorded, does this entry include hollow-core, multicore, microstructured, active and sensing fibers, and which require optional model extensions?","Does an identified fiber remain one registry object across a splice, or should joined paths always relate separate segment objects?","Where should ownership fall for tight buffers, bonded ribbon materials and other protection beyond the primary fiber coating?","Which manufacturer documents and applicable test standards should establish limits and acceptance methods for each supported fiber family?","What evidence is sufficient to assess continued mechanical reliability after coating damage or a handling-limit excursion when optical continuity remains?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q162/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q162/spec.json"],"providers":["Codex","Grok"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-07T13:46:04Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"filled","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T12:16:29+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 3 live sources; review by codex: pass"},"score":1.0}}