Laser pushes data speed to new limits

Laser pushes data speed to new limits

www.abc.net.au

Scientists have set a new data speed record using just a single laser to transmit the equivalent of 700 DVDs in one second.

Earlier this year, Japanese scientists set a world record sending 109 terabits per second using multiple lasers.

The scientists used a single laser to generate 325 optical frequencies within a narrow spectral band of laser wavelengths and transmitted the data over 50 kilometres of single-mode fibre.

(visit the link for the full news article)


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One can only imagine what this will do for the electronics industry. From DVD's to the hard-drives on your personal computer, this could well 're-write' how information is streamed, gathered and stored.

The real problem I see (as it also mentioned in the article), is that our current architecture is not made to handle such a large flow of information. Fiber-Optics would be necessary.

Earlier this year, Japanese scientists set a world record sending 109 terabits per second using multiple lasers.

But still, this is an astounding feat for one laser to accomplish. Can you imagine the Military and Space advantages to such speeds!

www.abc.net.au
(visit the link for the full news article)

Data caps will kill the technological progression don't worry...

Bill em by the byte FTL

reply to post by JohnnyAnonymous


The most likely application for this will actually be telecoms, not electronics. I work in the field myself and we're always looking at ways of squeezing more bandwidth out of our existing fibre network than deploying new fibres to expand capacity, as it is obviously cheaper.

Currently, the largest line systems we have in place are DWDM, which is essentially the same principle in using multiple lasers to carry data over a single fibre, or fibre pair. Commonly, each laser or wavelength will be a 2.5Gb channel and in some DWDM systems you can get 40 or more channels, all down a single fibre pair. We usually use a system like this when fibre connectovity between nodes is limited and it isn't efficient to put in a fibre pair for each STM-16 (2.5Gbs), so our SDH will feed into a DWDM system on 2.5Gbs tribs then shove it out onto line as part of a multiplexed optical signal carrying dozens of them on the single pair.

We've just started rolling out 100Gbs ethernet services to Enterprise customers and we thought these were big. These new developments, when they finally hit the market, will have a massive impact on the speeds available and the costs involved. In 10 years time, you'll be considered stone-age if you don't have a 1Gb broadband connection to your home.

i think the writing has been on the wall for dvd's, cd's and that method of information storage for a long time now anyway..

they will continue to improve these systems, because they have to..

our daily lives and our futures rely on it so much, it has now officially become the 4th utility, along with electric, water and gas.. everything we do in the future will be driven by it in one way or another...

a pretty good clip from a bbc documentary, showing a simultion of data and calls in one day in the uk..

Amazing stuff but how will this tech affect each home individually do you think? I'm probably gonna sound dumb here but in my house atm the only thing it would improve would be dl speeds, cant really think of anything else.
And yes I do realise this would have a huge affect on the commercial side of things, just putting it into a personal perspective.

reply to post by thequietone


I don't know if you're aware, but there is currently a massive push going on towards cloud computing. Many large firms have already started moving away to this proposition and it is onyl a matter of time before the same thing happens among the plebs.

With cloud computing will come online HD content, the ability to share large amounts of data very quickly, integration of all our different devices and services into one big homogenous info-blob. Instead of us all sitting round the TV for our entertainment, you could have it anywhere - with other advances in display technology, you could litterally watch HDTV on your fridge for example. Other applications for massive amounts of bandwidth are the interactive adverts you see in minority report, for example. In fact, whatever you can think of becomes much closer with almost lmitless bandwidth, as that is really all that is holding the internet back.

I would hate to know the coding languages used in Minority Report for their computers and interactive adverts...

I bet it's some bastardized Java form or god forbid, Vi.. -shudder-

Maybe one day we will find a way to map brain circuitry and monitor the status of each neuron, and stream that status over this connection to a cyborg and have a truly remote surgeon. High risk medical emergencies will be that much less dangerous. Of course, we could also give that cyborg an anti tank rifle (thumbs up).