Researchers at ETH Zurich University collaborated with Thales Alenia Space and the French National Aeronautics and Space Research Agency (ONERA) to conduct an experiment using laser beams to transmit optical data through the air. between the mountain peak and the city of Bern with a distance of 53 km.
The experiment faced many challenges such as air turbulence and thermal phenomena but was successful.
The team used a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) chip with 97 mirrors to transmit and achieve a bandwidth of one terabit per second (equivalent to 1,000 gigabits per second). When using standard technology the system can scale up to 40 terabits/sec. This success opens up the possibility of high-speed, cost-effective Internet connectivity through a constellation of near-Earth satellites.
Laser beams face many factors as they travel through the air. The biggest challenges are the crowded megacities, the water surface of Lake Thun, the erratic turbulence of air particles over the snow-covered high mountains and airplanes, causing errors in the transmitted data. In addition, the phenomenon of heat causing the air to flicker also disrupts the uniformity of light motion.
The team’s new technology has the potential to have a major impact on the global Internet infrastructure, especially in remote areas. In the experiment, the system could easily scale to 40 channels and 40 terabit/s transmission rate, so it could be a promising alternative to current deep sea cable.