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erbium definition - telecom
A soft, malleable, silvery rare-earth element used in various alloys. Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) are used extensively in long haul fiber optic transmission systems (FOTS). Erbium is number 68 in the Periodic Table of Elements. Erbium is named for the village of Ytterby, Sweden, where it was discovered. So were ytterbium, yttrium, and terbium. See also EDFA, FOTS, and Ytterby.

Webster's New World Telecom Dictionary Copyright © 2008 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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