Which technology allows light to travel through fine glass tubes as a result of total internal reflection?

Fibre optics technology is crucial for enabling light to travel through fine glass tubes due to the phenomenon known as total internal reflection. This principle occurs when light attempts to move from a denser medium (like glass) to a less dense medium (like air) at an angle greater than the critical angle. In fibre optics, the core of the fibre is made from glass or plastic, which has a higher refractive index than the surrounding cladding. This design ensures that light entering the fibre is completely reflected back into the core, allowing it to travel over long distances with minimal loss of intensity.

The success of fibre optics in telecommunications and networking is largely due to this ability to transmit light signals efficiently and rapidly. Other technologies listed do not utilize total internal reflection in the same manner. For instance, holography is a technique for displaying three-dimensional images, photovoltaics convert light into electricity, and laser technology primarily involves the amplification of light, but they do not inherently use the principle of light traveling through glass tubes in the way that fibre optics does.