Swiss scientists discover new way to boost fibre optic broadband

Frank Garrett

http://www.simplifydigital.co.uk/news/articles/2013/12/swiss-scientists-discover-new-way-to-boost-fibre-optic-broadband/

Rectangular light spectrum pulses could deliver 10x faster fibre optic networks, according to research by Swiss scientists. The new method, called the 'Nyquist sinc pulse' involves shortening the distance between pulses of laser light to allow networks to carry up to ten times more data.

Swiss scientists from the EPFL (part of Switzerland's Federal Institutes of Technology) have found yet another innovative method of boosting fibre optic network performance.


By shortening the distance between pulses of laser light, networks can carry up to ten times more data. The solution is said to be "highly flexible and easily integrated" into existing communication systems.
The new solution, called the 'Nyquist sinc pulse' allows pulses to be closer together without any interference causing data reading to become unclear.
Camille Brès, Photonics Systems Laboratory, commented:


"These pulses have a shape that's more pointed, making it possible to fit them together, a little bit like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle lock together. There is of course some interference, but not at the locations where we actually read the data"

Capt'n Midnight

http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2013/131204/ncomms3898/full/ncomms3898.html

Recently, a 32.5-Tbit s−1 Nyquist WDM transmission with a net spectral efficiency of 6.4 bit s−1 Hz−1 has been shown

That's 1,000 DVD's a second.