New fibers for new times

2001/06/28 Mendiburu, Joana - Elhuyar Zientziaren Komunikazioa

• Komunikazioak

Phone calls and Internet information travel through optical fibers at laser speed. But, as published today in the journal Nature, optical fibers also have limits. Although more capacities are being designed every day, it was almost impossible to define the capacity of the fibers. Optical fibers are not linear means, so the influence of incoming sound outside could not be defined mathematically. Sounds interact with each other, that is, a sound plus a sound are not two sounds. Increased noise intensity makes it difficult to output signal information.

Partha Mitra and Jason Stark from Bell Labs have found a linear component equivalent to the nonlinear component of fiber capacity definition operations, increasing signal transmission capacity. So far the fibers carry 1.6 Hertz terabits per second and the new transports 150 Hertz terabits per second.

However, according to expert Govind Agrawal, "the ability to transport information from optical fibers has increased exponentially, but it will slow down." From now on it will be necessary to open new ways and use alternative technologies.