A group of scientists from the Moscow Technical University of Communications and Informatics (MTUCI) has established the sensitivity of fiber-optic communication lines (FOCL) to lightning strikes. They concluded that both fully dielectric and armored cables are sensitive to these atmospheric phenomena.
At the National Research University "Moscow Power Engineering Institute" (NRU "MPEI"), a thunderstorm with lightning was simulated using the "Thunderstorm" experimental measuring complex, supplemented with optical equipment. The voltage in the discharges reached 1.2 million volts.
Research has shown that FOCLs, even if they are not very long, are sensitive to rapid changes in the electromagnetic field caused by discharges that occur in an artificial thundercloud. Such changes can affect both armored and fully dielectric cables.
Lightning discharges have the greatest impact on signals on communication lines that contain metal parts in their construction. Even short FOCLs were found to be sensitive to changes in the electromagnetic field caused by discharges from an artificial thundercloud.
Fiber optic cables are mainly used on overhead power lines, where they are installed inside the sheath of a lightning protection cable. On modern lines, it is more effective to use dielectric cables, which are lightweight and not susceptible to corrosion.
Kolesnikov added that the research will create a basis for creating new fiber-optic communication lines that will be protected from external electromagnetic influences.
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