back to article Boffins flip optics to make booster-free superfast fibre

A group of researchers led by a Monash Univeristy PhD student has demonstrated an all-optical technique for dealing with nonlinearity – something that considerably boosts the throughput of an optical system. The demonstration is important for two reasons. One is that fibre optic cables used to transport signals over long …

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  1. FutureShock999

    Reversal of Fortunes

    So the past few months have shown the Aussies to be absolute crap at any sports that matter (rugby, cricket, and some might even include Mark Webber's retirement as signs), but it appears that they now excel in advanced boffinrey involving photons.

    Well, it IS sunnier there...maybe that's the secret. In any event, congratulations to our young Phd....this is cracking good stuff to have achieved!

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  4. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    Don't bother with the committee votes...

    Why hasn't anyone else seen this before. I can "see" the method, it's blindingly obvious, sort of Einstein's "Reverse Flow" in thermodynamics applied to photons. In any case, this kid deserves a Nobel.

    1. Mr C

      Re: Don't bother with the committee votes...

      .."Why hasn't anyone else seen this before .. it's blindingly obvious"..

      It's always those why-didn't-i-think-of-that moments that make you slap your forehead.

      Yeah, i've had a few of those myself.

  5. g e

    Is it just me or...

    Do the Aussies seem to have an preternatural affinity for all things quantum and opto these days?

    1. Robert Ramsay
      Angel

      Re: Is it just me or...

      Perhaps they are the only ones putting their hands into their wallets for it...

    2. Denarius
      FAIL

      Re: Is it just me or...

      we did, but the leading institution for quantum physics has just outsourced all its email to a cloud hosted overseas. USSA will now acquire a mysterious lead just ahead of Oz....

  6. jubtastic1
    Trollface

    You can get it now!

    Some organisation called the .A.S.N has offered to install the midpoint reversing kit for free!

  7. Annihilator
    Happy

    Misread

    "Because it's an all-optical approach, the key component – the optical phase conjugator – could be retrofitted to any suitable fibre"

    I read that as "the optical phase combobulator" which I actually think is an apt name, assuming "combobulate" means the opposite of "discombobulate"

  8. Gene Cash Silver badge
    Coat

    I have no content

    I just wanted to say "all-photonic optical phase conjugation unit"

  9. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Thumb Up

    Intriguing on several levels.

    Passive so no electricity supply needed

    Potentially more reliable (if the materials are stable over long periods of time)

    Not sure how much this boost existing capacity but sure sounds good.

    Thumbs up for some very clever work.

  10. MrScott

    One photon, over easy.

    Very creative use of photon properties. I suppose if one trys to put the dog in the transporter it appears on the other side as a different dog or least facing the other direction.

  11. Henry Wertz 1 Gold badge

    "...fibre optic cables used to transport signals over long distances need occasional boosters. As you'll read below, this demonstration renders those unnecessary, a boon for network operators."

    These repeater sites are USUALLY a burden. Someone at Level 3 networks is some kind of genius though. As the cell cos started wanting faster backhaul to their cell sites that were out in the middle of nowhere, someone at Level 3 realized they could pop a microwave antenna up at the regeneration site, and run as much backhaul as any cell site could need right to the site. (Usually, in a few cases the cell site may be close enough to run new fiber right to the site.) I read they have about 500 regeneration sites total (1 every 50-60 miles) and have about 150-200 of them wired up to provide backhaul.

  12. ja

    Aussie National Pastime

    I heard a debate on the CBC today about whether Cricket or Baseball was the superior sport. The Canadian comic pointed out that Baseball is considered "The National Pastime" in Canada and the US while in the UK and in Oz he claimed the national pastime is "tooth decay".

    In truth all four countries enjoy their beer. US/Canada cold ones, UK warm ones and Oz it's fortified with crocodile blood.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Aussie National Pastime

      I think you'll find in Oz it's fortified with cat piss.

  13. DohaAndy

    Could end up as being reasonably cheap

    Optical fibre muxes OADM etc are rather cheap devices, you can get them for sub $1000. If this is of the same ilk you could see them going for around the same price on about 10 years.

    That makes things very interesting as the range of fibre for high speed data isn't so much limited by attenuation as the non-linear effects. You end up trading speed for distance, I wonder how wideband the device is, it would be great is is did the entire ITU grid, I suspect it will only do a few channels..

    I'm not surprised it was accepted as a late submission, it is potentially really big news for those who spend their lives peering into the end of such links[1].

    Andy

    [1] Not literally - you end up with vision problems doing this sort of thing :-)

  14. Chris Evans

    I wonder how does it does the inversion, with only passives?

    I wonder how does it does the inversion, with only passives?

    If it was digital it could A to D the shape of the phase change and then D to A in reverse order.

    As it has to start outputting the end form of the wave how does it store the middle and start information so it can then output them? All with passives!

    Not my field but I'm intrigued

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