Novel Visible Light Emitting Optical Fibers Using Up-Conversion

Optical fibers are described that emit visible light along their length when particulate up-converters in the cladding are excited by light from semiconductor light sources propagating in the core and leaking into the cladding. These eye-catching fibers can be made in almost any color. They can enhance the display of safety gear, enliven novelty clothing displays, make more spectacular theatrical costumes and find use in a wide range of specialty fabrics for other novel display applications.