New form of light discovered, may change the future of fiber optics
Posted by freedomforall 7 years, 11 months ago to Technology
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“Until now, light has been seen as a fixed constant. Literally, your ability to see light is based on Planck’s constant and angular momentum, a number that is a multiple based on Planck’s mathematical equation which measures a beam of light.”
Drivel. Time for the author to open Max Planck’s The Theory of Heat Radiation and run away screaming from its immense mathematical rigor. Some simple equations eventually rule; for example:
E=h×nu and E=h-bar×omega.
For light (a photon), its energy is Planck’s constant times its frequency, or alternatively, it’s energy is Planck’s constant divided by two×pi times its angular momentum. (Hard to show with the limited font here.)
Yes, Planck’s constant is important: h=6.626×10^-34 joule-seconds, and h-bar, Planck’s constant divided by two pi, is the universe’s natural line width of conjugate properties; such as position and momentum, or energy and time.
But so what?! Half-h-bar angular momentum isn’t going to magically and instantly translate into better fiber optic communication. Just like knowing that E=mc² doesn’t magically turn into a practical fusion reactor running on deuterium and tritium from seawater.
The notion that this will make fiber-optic transmission faster is akin to saying ramjet technology will get one from NY to Tokyo in 20 minutes. On paper, yes. Practically, however, ... No. A classic misconception I battle everyday in the lay world of IT is the perception that 'fiber-optic' cable is faster at data transmission than classic copper wire is. Simply stating that electro-magnetic pulses travel at the same speeds is not enough to convince the common office manager intent on spending 2~4x the price for 'fiber-optic' cabling simply because it works with light-waves..!!
In the SAN (Storage Area Network) industry mainly, marketers have done a swell job selling such a misconception to their uneducated consumers.
Back to the topic at hand, another reason why one will not see improvement in fiber optic networks anytime soon - the timing of data processing is based on conventional components---crystals, capacitors, resistors, transistors, XAND gates, etc.---which can only run as fast as conventional electro-magnetic pulses travel. Those components will ALL need re-engineering to handle signals at faster than light speeds, if what they say is even possible in current fiber-optic cabling. I.e., you can't sail any faster than the slowest boat in the fleet.
Anyway, Steven-Wells nailed it when he correctly pointed out that the author has no more than a 5th-grader's understanding of science... which may be an insult to many 5th graders.
I got it.
That seems to be a common thing, i:e: to write about a possibility as fact way before it can be implemented. Otherwise the atmosphere would be filled with flying cars.
Thanks for the understandable examples.
One never stops learning.
they're free to do it? . it's such fun watching and
enjoying the results ... just keep 'em free!!! -- j
.
"The discovery is still in ITS INFANCY....". They haven't even shown that this is a new form of light yet. This is similar to the claims of cold fusion. Before you can claim new discoveries you need to demonstrate through peer reveiw that your new information is true. This is because scientists are human and are succeptible to conformation bias.
.
Because they do that using frequencies. same again if memory serves 80,000 fibers might have carried one communication duplex or 40,000 simplex but in future will be carrying ten or a hundred times that at the same time using assigned frequencies for each fiber.
Isn't technology wonderful!!! all that texting has an alternate route to transmitted via towers ..
Little joke there. Any new form might hit ten times a million in each of those tubes we planted who knows?
The Sprint miracle in action.
SPRINT Southern Pacific Railroad International who realized their rights of way included unlimited communications. Damni wish I had bought stock back then?
I'm surprised that SPRINT is still around, given how most of the other long distance carriers (MCI, WorldCom, Qwest) either collapsed or merged into regional dial-tone providers. Ma Bell has been replaced by a Big Three who still mostly don't compete with each other, because the government limits them to separate areas. Clearly antitrust, like other regulatory efforts, has been captured by the companies it was supposedly created to regulate. I'm sure their lobbyists designed and paid for that result.