Set the record information transmission over fiber

Scientists at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany have created a new record of data transfer through fiber optic cables using only one laser.

According to the Daily Mail, a research team from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Germany) succeeded in sending 26 terabits (TB) of data, equivalent to the size of 7 DVD, via a fiber optic cable within 1 second.

German scientists successfully sent 26 terabits of data per second through a 50km optical fiber cable, using a single laser. Photo: Alamy.

The scientists used a transformer to separate 325 different light colors in a laser. Each light color is encoded with a sequence of information. Then, these different colors will be lumped together in a laser beam and transmitted through fiber optic cable. At the receiving end, a similar transformer is used to separate each light color and decode the information chain.

The advantage of this technology is that it maximizes data transmission and cost savings by reducing the number of lasers that travel through the fiber optic cable while transmitting data. The current method of data transmission over fiber optic cables is to use multiple monochromatic lasers at the same time, resulting in very high costs.

' Previously an experiment of transmitting 100 terabits of data per second was successfully performed. However, this method requires the use of 370 lasers at a time - a small cost. In addition, many lasers are used to increase the amount of electricity consumed , "said Professor Wolfgang Freude, a member of the research team.

In the latest experiment, Dr. Freude and his colleagues successfully sent 26 TB (1TB = 1000GB) of data per second over a 50km optical fiber cable, using a single laser. Last year, the team successfully transmitted 10 terabits of data using this method.

Although the new technology is quite complex, Professor Wolfgang Freude believes that it could be applied in silicon chip if the current data transfer rate is improved further.