Communications of the ACM
Ccny Researchers se Novel Polarization to Increase Data Speeds
Researchers manipulated a laser beam's polarization into novel shapes, in order to increase data transmission speeds.
Credit: Ebrahim Karimi
City College of New York (CCNY) researchers have developed an unconventional method for increasing data transmission speeds.
The team manipulated a laser beam's polarization into novel shapes using special devices called q-plates.
Light's polarization, linear and circular, is used for many modern technologies, but the shape is often left alone, notes CCNY Ph.D. student Giovanni Milione. In a pioneering experiment conducted at the University of Southern California with collaborators from Corning, Scotland, Italy, and Canada, the team showed each shape could carry an additional data stream.
Although the researchers used only four shapes, in principle the number that could be used is unlimited.
"The amount of data that can be transmitted on a single laser beam can be scaled to terabits or even petabits," says CCNY professor Robert Alfano. "This technology is potentially compatible with building-to-building communication in [New York City] or even between Google data centers."
From City College of New York
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