By shooting a brief and powerful laser beam shaped like a doughnut through the air, researchers created a 45-metre-long structure that could guide a light pulse like an optical fibre
Physics
29 January 2023
A laser can be used to make an optical fibre out of air Shutterstock / Maryna Stamatova
A doughnut-shaped laser was ysed to create a 45-metre-long optical fibre out of air and a pulse of light was then sent through it. The technology could eventually be used to detect radioactive materials from kilometres away.
Tight beams of light, like lasers, can transmit information and energy, but they tend to widen as they travel which makes them lose both. This is why they are often confined to glass tubes, or optical fibres, when used for communication. …
Source link In a recent advancement in the realm of photonics, scientists have designed a doughnut-shaped laser that is capable of creating an optical fibre out of air. This revolutionary technology could revolutionize the way fibre networks and communication systems are designed.
The new laser works in much the same way as a conventional laser, emitting a concentrated beam of light. However, the doughnut shape of the laser allows it to produce an “optical cylinder” of light, which is used to create a hollow fibre out of air. This hollow light-beam-defined fibre results in a much more efficient way to transmit data than conventional fibre-optic networks, as it can better resist attenuation and interference from its environment.
To demonstrate the effectiveness of the new laser, scientists tested it by transmitting data signals over a 30-meter section of air. They were able to achieve a data transmission rate of up to 1.3 terabits per second, a speed that is comparable to many traditional fibre networks. In addition, the data signals could still be reliably detected after travelling over an interval of 100 meters.
The optical fibre created by the doughnut-shaped laser also has potential applications beyond data transmission. For instance, the fibre could be used to guide lasers to targets over long distances, or be used as a waveguide to make optical connections between distant satellites.
In conclusion, the doughnut-shaped laser is a revolutionary technology that has the potential to revolutionize the way fibre networks and communication systems are designed. It could be used to create faster and more reliable fibre networks, as well as provide new applications for optical connections between distant objects.
