'Corkscrew' Light Could Turbocharge Internet 82
ananyo writes "Twisty beams of light could boost the traffic-carrying capacity of the Internet, effectively adding new levels to the information superhighway, suggests new research. In the last few years, different groups of researchers have tried to encode information in the shape of light beams to ease congestion, using a property of light called orbital angular momentum. Currently, a straight beam of light is used to transmit Internet signals, but certain filters can twist it so that it corkscrews around with varying degrees of curliness as it travels. Previous experiments using this effect have found that differently shaped light beams tend to jumble together after less than a meter. Now, a team of researchers from Boston University in Massachusetts and the University of Southern California in Los Angeles has found a way to keep the different light beam shapes separated for a record 1.1 kilometers. The most imminent use of the cables, the authors say, might be to install them to span the short distances between servers on giant 'server farms', used by large Web companies such as Facebook."
Re:Will this need new cables and other hardware (Score:3, Informative)
Basically this has been done before, but it isn't very effective because it only retains its information carrying capacity for very short distances. What these guys have done is made the information coherent for over a kilometer. It could theoretically go for longer, but their cable was only made about a kilometer long. While interesting, it would require replacing cables rather than being useful for existing cables.
It pains me to say this, but (Score:5, Informative)
People are probably beter off reading the wiki [wikipedia.org]...
Key bit of information...
OAM multiplexing can not be implemented in the existing long-haul optical fiber systems, since these systems are based on single-mode fibers, which inherently do not support OAM states of light. Instead, few-mode or multi-mode fibers need to be used. Additional problem for OAM multiplexing implementation is caused by the mode coupling that is present in the fiber, making direct-detection OAM multiplexing still not being realized in long-haul communications. In some specialty fibers, OAM states were transmitted with 97% purity after 20 meters.
Basically this demonstration technique uses specially designed fibers that can carry the "donut" TEM mode required for OAM which is the reason they made a comment that the most likely for fibers the implement this technique "might be to install them to span the short distances between servers on giant 'server farms'"...
Re:worst description of polarization ever (Score:5, Informative)
It's the "worst description of polarization ever" because it's apparently not polarization [wikipedia.org]:
The orbital angular momentum of light (OAM) is the component of angular momentum of a light beam that is dependent on the field spatial distribution, and not on the polarization.
I don't understand (Score:2, Informative)
How corkscrewing light will turbocharge anything...
Will the exhaust light impact an impeller that then compresses the light on the other side?
Because (I direct this to every idiot who mis-uses the term "turbocharge") THAT is what a TURBOCHARGER is.
A compressor that is powered by exhaust gas.
If whatever damn device you are speeding up does not contain: /end of rant
an waste exhaust-driven impeller
an impeller driven compressor
then it is NOT turbocharging.