IBM Slows Light, page 1

posted on Nov, 3 2005 @ 02:27 AM

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IBM has developed the techology to slow light down. This break through allows the ablitiy for data to be carried in the beam of light.

news.zdnet.com
The chip, called a photonic silicon waveguide, is a piece of silicon dotted with arrays of tiny holes. Scattered systematically by the holes, light shown on the chip slows down to 1/300th of its ordinary speed of 186,000 miles per second. In a computer system, slower light pulses could carry data rapidly, but in an orderly fashion. The light can be further slowed by applying an electric field to the waveguide.

Researchers at Harvard University and the University of California, Berkeley, have slowed light in laboratories. IBM, though, claims that its light-slowing device is the first to be fashioned out of fairly standard materials, potentially paving the way toward commercial adoption.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

All I can say is woahhh! Can you imagine the speed of data transfer?.... 5 years from now. "Hey Joe how fast is your CPU?" "Ohh it's only a 2.5 LS (light speed)"

Ahhhh to only have that now *drool*

[edit on 5-11-2005 by asala]

nukunuku

posted on Nov, 3 2005 @ 02:42 AM

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somehow i have a feeling it will still be 2 slow 4 me

but great discovery either way.....light komputors anyone?

Zion Mainframe

posted on Nov, 3 2005 @ 05:32 AM

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This has been done before, a few years ago by scientists of Harvard university:

Scientists put a light wave on hold (Jan. 18, 2001)

They completely stopped a wave of light, and then brought it back up to speed

[edit on 11-3-2005 by Zion Mainframe]

The_Modulus

posted on Nov, 3 2005 @ 06:52 AM

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How exactly do they slow the light? They mentioned tiny holes; is it by causing multiple refractions or something?

Nygdan

posted on Nov, 3 2005 @ 07:38 AM

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Light slows whenever it moves through any medium, like water, or even air. Not trying to downplay this, its obviously a big advance. It sounds whacky and immpossible when you first hear it tho!

The_Modulus

posted on Nov, 3 2005 @ 07:41 AM

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That was my immediate response: "Wow! They slow it down? Give me some thick glass and I will slow it down."
I guess theres a bit more to it.

DCFusion

posted on Nov, 8 2005 @ 10:37 AM

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I may be off base here, but I think the big thing in regards to this article is the fact that the light is slowed in a controlled manner so that it can be used to transmit data.

DodgeG1

posted on Nov, 8 2005 @ 10:46 AM

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Originally posted by nukunuku
somehow i have a feeling it will still be 2 slow 4 me

For you??? Don't you mean for Windows ?

cownosecat

posted on Nov, 8 2005 @ 10:53 AM

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Wow, I wonder if this meens near-instant transmission of huge amounts of data? If tha's the case then cooooool! I would never have to buy a game from a store again, just download it! Man, and it just opens up so many possibilities... cool post!