Silent Signals: The Breakthrough Technology Powering Faster Space Data
In space exploration, long-distance optical links now enable the transmission of images, videos, and data from space probes to Earth using light.
However, for these signals to travel the entire distance undisturbed, hypersensitive receivers and noise-free amplifiers are essential. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have now developed a system featuring a silent amplifier and an ultra-sensitive receiver, opening up possibilities for faster and more reliable space communication.
Space communication systems are increasingly relying on optical laser beams instead of traditional radio waves, as light experiences less signal loss over vast distances. However, even light-based signals weaken as they travel, meaning that optical systems need highly sensitive receivers to detect these faint signals by the time they reach Earth. Researchers at Chalmers have developed an innovative approach to optical space communication that could unlock new opportunities—and discoveries—in space.
“We can demonstrate a new system for optical communication with a receiver that is more sensitive than has been demonstrated previously at high data rates,” explains Peter Andrekson, Professor of Photonics at Chalmers and one of the lead authors of the study, recently published in Optica. “This means that you can get a faster and more error-free transfer of information over very long distances, for example when you want to send high-resolution images or videos from the Moon or Mars to Earth.”
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