Multi-mode fiber has higher "light-gathering" capacity than single-mode optical fiber. In practical terms, the larger core size simplifies connections and also allows the use of lower-cost electronics such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (
VCSELs) which operate at the
850 nm and
1300 nm wavelength (
single-mode fibers used in telecommunications operate at
1310 or 1550 nm and need more costly laser sources.
Single mode fibers exist for very all visible wavelengths of light). However, compared to single-mode fibers, the
multi-mode
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