The fastest data transfer speed through a single laser has been beaten,
according to a new report released. Researchers at Germany's Karlsruhe Institute
of Technology have achieved a blistering speed of up to 26 terabits per second,
allowing for an entire transfer of the contents of Wikipedia in mere seconds.
Speaking to BBC News, Professor
Wolfgand Freude explained that the idea is based around different wavelengths of
colours. The different colours interact with each other to create around 325
colours in a frequency comb. These colours can each contain their own data
stream, and the laser is fired in very short pulses to create the super high
speeds demonstrated. Before, the concept was tested with far less colours, and
was capable of around 10 terabits per second.
50km of fibre optics were used in the experiment to test the capabilities of the
system. At the other end, a technique known as Fourier transform picks apart the
colour beams using optics. Different sections arrive at different times, so at
this point it is a simple case of piecing together data that came in at
different times.
Faster laser transfer speeds are possible, but the big news with this latest
breakthrough is the fact that such a high speed was achieved using only one
laser. "The problem [with previous experiments] was they didn't have just one
laser, they had something like 370 lasers, which is an incredibly expensive
thing. If you can imagine 370 lasers, they fill racks and consume several
kilowatts of power," Freude said.
Looking towards the future, Freude speculates that the breakthrough could have
far-reaching possibilities that extend even to internal computer hardware. The
technology is capable of being used in a single silicon chip, Freude
claims. "Nobody could have imagined 10 years ago that nowadays it would be so
common to integrate relatively complicated optical circuits on to a silicon
chip."