Fiber optic technology breakthrough could increase Internet speeds 100 times

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According to foreign media reports, an article recently published in Nature Communications stated that by detecting light twisted into a spiral, Internet speed can be increased by 100 times. This research can be used to easily upgrade existing networks and greatly improve transmission efficiency.

Fiber-optic cables use pulses of light to transmit information, but currently information can only be stored by the color of the light, and whether the waves are horizontal or vertical.

By twisting light into a spiral, engineers have created a third dimension for light to carry information: angular momentum, or twist. "The spiral is a bit like DNA," said Min Gu, a researcher at RMIT University in Melbourne. "The more angular momentum you use, the more information you can carry."

Researchers in the US had previously created an optical fibre that could twist light, but Gu's team was the first to create a detector of a reasonable size to read the information.

Previous detectors were "as big as a dining table," but the new ones are only as wide as a human hair. "We can produce the first chip that can detect this kind of distortion and use it for mobile applications," Gu said.

The technology could be used to upgrade fibre networks, but whether operators are ready for the kind of advances being made at RMIT is another question.

A spokesman said: "New communication technologies are tested in laboratories for many years before they are commercialised. They need to be widely accepted by equipment manufacturers and network operators before they can be deployed operationally."