University of Alberta Develops Data Transmission Tech Translating Microwaves to Optical Light
Physicists develop technology to transform information from microwaves to optical light
Key points…
+ Physicists at the University of Alberta have developed technology that can translate data from microwaves to optical light—an advance that has promising applications in the next generation of super-fast quantum computers and secure fiber-optic telecommunications.
+ The new technology works by introducing a strong interaction between microwave radiation and atomic gas. The microwaves are then modulated with an audio signal, encoding information into the microwave. This modulation is passed through the gas atoms, which are then probed with optical light to encode the signal into the light.
+ “This transfer of information from the microwave domain to the optical domain is the key result,” said LeBlanc. “The wavelengths of these two carrier signals differ by a factor of 50,000. It is not easy to transduce the signal between these regimes, but this transfer proves this is possible.”
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