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An international group of researchers from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, have reached breakneck data transmission speeds and are the first in the world to transmit more than 1 petabit per second (Pbit/s) using only a single laser and a single optical chip.
1 petabit is 1 million gigabits.
In the experiment, the researchers managed to transmit 1.8 Pbit/s, which is twice the total global Internet traffic. And only carried by light from an optical source. The light source is a custom-designed optical chip, which can use light from a single infrared laser to create a rainbow spectrum of many colors, i.e. many frequencies. Thus, the frequency (color) of a single laser can be multiplied to hundreds of frequencies (colors) in a single chip.
All colors are fixed at a specific frequency distance from each other, just like the teeth of a comb, which is why it is called a frequency comb. Each color (or frequency) can then be isolated and used to print data. The frequencies can then be reassembled and sent over an optical fiber, transmitting data. Even a huge volume of data, as the researchers discovered.
A single laser can replace thousands
The experimental demonstration showed that a single chip could easily carry 1.8 Pbit/s, which with contemporary state-of-the-art commercial equipment would otherwise require over 1,000 lasers.
Victor Torres Company, a professor at Chalmers University of Technology, leads the research group that developed and manufactured the chip.
“The particularity of this chip is that it produces a frequency comb with ideal characteristics for fiber optic communications. It has high optical power and covers a wide bandwidth in the spectral region, which is attractive for communications advanced optics,” says Victor Torres Company. .
Interestingly, the chip has not been optimized for this particular application.
“In fact, some of the characteristic parameters were obtained by coincidence and not by design”, explains Victor Torres Company. “However, thanks to the efforts of my team, we are now able to reverse engineer the process and achieve high reproducibility microcombs for target applications in telecommunications.”
Huge scaling potential
Additionally, the researchers created a computer model to theoretically examine the fundamental potential of data transmission with a single chip identical to that used in the experiment. The calculations showed huge potential for scaling the solution.
Professor Leif Katsuo Oxenløwe, Director of the Center of Excellence for Silicon Photonics for Optical Communications (SPOC) at DTU, says:
“Our calculations show that with the single chip made by Chalmers University of Technology and a single laser, we will be able to transmit up to 100 Pbit/s. The reason for this is that our solution is scalable, both in terms of to create many frequencies and in terms of dividing the comb of frequencies into multiple spatial copies and then optically amplifying them and using them as parallel sources with which we can transmit data. Although the comb copies need to be amplified, we let’s not lose the qualities of the comb, which we use for spectrally efficient data transmission.”
This is how you pack light with data
The packaging of light with data is known as modulation. Here, the wave properties of light are used such as:
- Amplitude (wave height/strength)
- Phase (the “rhythm” of the waves, where it is possible to make a shift so that a wave arrives either a little earlier or a little later than expected)
- Polarization (the directions in which the waves propagate).
By modifying these properties, you create signals. The signals can be translated into ones or zeros and therefore used as data signals.
Reduces internet power consumption
The researchers’ solution bodes well for future internet power consumption.
“In other words, our solution offers the potential to replace hundreds of thousands of lasers located in internet hubs and data centers, all of which consume power and generate heat. We have the opportunity to contribute to the realization of an Internet that leaves a smaller climate footprint,” says Leif Katsuo Oxenløwe.
Even though the researchers broke the petabit barrier for a single laser source and a single chip in their demonstration, there is still development work to be done before the solution can be implemented in our current communication systems, according to Leif. Katsuo Oxenlowe.
“Around the world, work is underway to integrate the laser source into the optical chip, and we are working on that as well. The more components we can integrate into the chip, the more efficient the whole emitter will be. i.e., laser, comb-creating chip, data modulators and any amplifying element.It will be an extremely efficient optical transmitter of data signals,” says Leif Katsuo Oxenløwe.
The research is published in Nature Photonics.
Sending 1.84 petabits of data per second over a fiber optic cable over a distance of 7.9 km
A. A. Jørgensen et al, Petabits per second data transmission using a chip-scale microcomb ring resonator source, Nature Photonics (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41566-022-01082-z
Provided by the Technical University of Denmark
Quote: New Data Transmission Record Set Using Single Laser and Single Optical Chip (2022, Oct 23) Retrieved Oct 23, 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-10- transmission-laser-optical-chip.html
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