Australian and Canadian researchers led by Prof David J. Moss at Swinburne University of Technology and honorary professor at the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) was able to achieve world record-high data transmission over 75 km of standard optical fibre using a powerful class of micro-comb called soliton crystals.
Australian and Canadian researchers led by Prof David J. Moss at Swinburne University of Technology and honorary professor at the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) was able to achieve world record-high data transmission over 75 km of standard optical fibre using a powerful class of micro-comb called soliton crystals.
"This is one of the most efficient transmission systems implemented in a standard telecom network, given the record amount of information that can be encoded and propagated in an optical fibre with minimum loss of data,” says Professor Roberto Morandotti of the INRS, co-author of the study published on May 22 in Nature Communications and long-term collaborator of Prof Moss.
Telecommunication networks use many different frequencies, or colours, to transfer as much information as possible. Current networks need typically a separate laser for every colour, which is difficult and costly to set up properly. “Here, we decided to use a micro-comb to replace the multiple lasers. Like a hair comb, we can generate a set of frequencies which are equally distant, and the phase and amplitude of which can be easily and precisely controlled,” explains Morandotti.The ability to supply all wavelengths with a single, compact integrated chip, replacing many parallel lasers, offers the greatest benefit, in terms of performance, scalability and power consumption.
Read more at Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRS
Image: Professor Roberto Morandotti, a researcher at INRS and a specialist in nonlinear optics. Professor Morandotti's research focuses on integrated frequency comb sources for quantum optics. (Credit: INRS)
