Posted on 03/03/2012 1:04:12 AM PST by csvset
A striking demonstration of a means to boost the information-carrying capacity of radio waves has taken place across the lagoon in Venice, Italy. The technique exploits what is called the "orbital angular momentum" of the waves - imparting them with a "twist".
Varying this twist permits many data streams to fit in the frequency spread currently used for just one.
The approach, described in the New Journal of Physics, could be applied to radio, wi-fi, and television.
The parts of the electromagnetic spectrum that are used for all three are split up in roughly the same way, with a spread of frequencies allotted to each channel.
Each one contains a certain, limited amount of information-carrying capacity: its bandwidth. As telecommunications have proliferated through the years, the spectrum has become incredibly crowded, with little room left for new means of signal transmission, or for existing means to expand their bandwidths.
But Bo Thide of Swedish Institute of Space Physics and a team of colleagues in Italy hope to change that by exploiting an entirely new physical mechanism to fit more capacity onto the same bandwidth.
Galilean connection
The key lies in the distinction between the orbital and spin angular momentum of electromagnetic waves. A perfect analogy is the Earth-Sun system. The Earth spins on its axis, manifesting spin angular momentum; at the same time orbits the Sun, manifesting orbital angular momentum.
The "particles" of light known as photons can carry both types; the spin angular momentum of photons is better known through the idea of polarisation, which some sunglasses and 3-D glasses exploit.
Just as the "signals" for the left and right eye in 3-D glasses can be encoded on light with two different polarisations, extra signals can be set up with different amounts of orbital angular momentum.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
Encoding many channels on the same frequency through radio vorticity: first experimental test
Twisting of light around rotating black holes
Utilization of Photon Orbital Angular Momentum in the Low-Frequency Radio Domain
“This novel radio technique allows the implementation of, in principle, an infinite number of channels in a given, fixed bandwidth.”
Sounds like a good reason to hand out FCC licenses like candy, once they’ve got this perfected and commercially available.
How about, every smartphone use gets an FCC license to transmit audio and video on a unique frequency/angle, kicked up to a nationwide network of cellular re-transmitters, with all the other smartphones having the capacity to pick up each other’s broadcasts? Goodbye media stranglehold. Just follow what stations you like, just like twitter.
This is infinite bandwidth everywhere without a ton of infrastructure. A world changer. Thinking of the possibilities will boggle your mind.
What amazes me is that this isn’t new technology. It took 20 years (the theory behind this is over 100 years old and OAM properties where proven in a lab 20 years ago) before an extremely small group decided to experiment and demonstrate orbital angular momentum practicability. With billions spent on bandwidth a bunch of telecomm CEOs should be slapping their heads in amazement at their stupidity.
This will mean the potential to “unclog” much of the spectrum limits of cellphone towers and Wi-Fi routers, making it possible to have a lot more people running 3GPP LTE on cellphones without running into spectrum limits.
Thinking too small. It means millions of frequencies with fiber optic data transmission speed. Cell phones / smart devices (anything you can imagine) with a gigabit connection. The impact of this discovery can effect the world as much as the invention of the automobile / plane. True unlimited data.
Sounds like a good reason to hand out FCC licenses like candy, once they’ve got this perfected and commercially available.“This novel radio technique allows the implementation of, in principle, an infinite number of channels in a given, fixed bandwidth.”
How about, every smartphone use gets an FCC license to transmit audio and video on a unique frequency/angle, kicked up to a nationwide network of cellular re-transmitters, with all the other smartphones having the capacity to pick up each other’s broadcasts? Goodbye media stranglehold. Just follow what stations you like, just like twitter.
Perfectly logical. But FCC regulation was always about maximizing the value of spectrum by keeping channel licenses scarce. There was obviously some rationale for their actions, of course - but they did not want every Tom, Dick, and Harry to have a broadcast channel.I mean, what exactly has prevented you from being able to broadcast with your cell phone? Nothing, except laws against receiving your transmission which, implemented on everyone else’s cell phone, prevent all but one receiver from getting your signal. Laws which were violated by that couple (IIRC, the Martins?) in Florida, who were "just minding their own business" and Shazam! they picked up and recorded a conversation between Newt Gingrich and another Republican Congressman discussing strategy.
Of course, if everything is important then nothing is important - if everyone is broadcasting, then it’s hard to stand out and get an audience. Nobody can be interesting all the time, and some of us are hard put to be interesting at any time.
Sounds like a good reason to hand out FCC licenses like candy, once they’ve got this perfected and commercially available.“This novel radio technique allows the implementation of, in principle, an infinite number of channels in a given, fixed bandwidth.”
How about, every smartphone use gets an FCC license to transmit audio and video on a unique frequency/angle, kicked up to a nationwide network of cellular re-transmitters, with all the other smartphones having the capacity to pick up each other’s broadcasts? Goodbye media stranglehold. Just follow what stations you like, just like twitter.
Perfectly logical. But FCC regulation was always about maximizing the value of spectrum by keeping channel licenses scarce. There was obviously some rationale for their actions, of course - but they did not want every Tom, Dick, and Harry to have a broadcast channel.I mean, what exactly has prevented you from being able to broadcast with your cell phone? Nothing, except laws against receiving your transmission which, implemented on everyone else’s cell phone, prevent all but one receiver from getting your signal. Laws which were violated by that couple (IIRC, the Martins?) in Florida, who were "just minding their own business" and Shazam! they picked up and recorded a conversation between Newt Gingrich and another Republican Congressman discussing strategy.
Of course, if everything is important then nothing is important - if everyone is broadcasting, then it’s hard to stand out and get an audience. Nobody can be interesting all the time, and some of us are hard put to be interesting at any time.
“This is infinite bandwidth everywhere without a ton of infrastructure.
Well.....hold on.
There has to be some minimum energy level to discern different levels of “spin”. Presently, in order to get highest spectral performance, you need to have a very strong signal (physics thing). What is not clear at first blush is how and to what degree devices can be made to detect differing levels of spin, and how frequency re-use impacts the density of spin-encoded channels.
Still....good stuff, but the engineer in me has to expect something significantly less than “infinite bandwidth”.
This same principle is exactly what the "publishing" industry will be faced with in just a few years. The book printing and retail business is disappearing before our eyes. Soon, all books will be essentially self-published.
Many good authors who have been unable to past the self-appointed publisher gatekeepers will be available. So also will infinitely greater numbers of writers of drek, who those gatekeepers also kept off the market.
I expect some sort of market or rating based system to emerge whereby people will be able to effectively find stuff they want to read in the vastly expanded universe of that is available.
I would expect something similar for video, music, etc.
As much as I dislike most (all?) of Springsteen’s politics, he nailed it on that one 20+ years ago: 57 channels and nothin’ on!
RavioLI-FI for Spaghetti Westerns on TV.
RavioLI-FI for Spaghetti Westerns on TV.
You are absolutely correct, they want government control and wouldn’t hand out these licenses willingly. Still, how long you try to hold back a tsunami like this? I have to hope that, maybe, that will prove to be an exercise in futility.
Hmm... what about Citizen’s Band and HAM radio frequencies? Can’t you broadcast on those without a license? If we can adapt the technology to those frequency ranges, then what is stopping us from just setting up a network like this without going through the government at all? Let them try to stop it once the genie is out of the bottle :)
“There’s nothing on TV worth watching now. WTF do we need more capacity for?”
Conceivably, this technology could be used break the monopoly on broadcasting. One reason there is nothing good on TV is because there are a bunch of braindead leftists programming most every channel.
If they can make it viable, it sounds like it would 1000 times more revolutionary than fiber optics.
Right. On the web, any idiot can throw up a website, but “content is king”. Give people what they want, and you will draw a following, otherwise you are lost in the static. Draw a following, and you will draw advertisers than covet that demographic. It’s freedom of association and the free market at its best.
“Still....good stuff, but the engineer in me has to expect something significantly less than “infinite bandwidth”.”
Yes, I’m sure, in the real world, it wouldn’t be infinite. Still, it could be a huge leap, and certainly a lot of money would be spent to hone the technology over time, once investors see it in action and realize what it means.
Oh, come on! There just has to be a way to get the slackjawed lap-droolers out there to believe they have FREEDOM!
More choices!
More distractions!
More things to make them believe they have freedom because they can tune in to every football game in the country in history, on demand, every sporting event on the planet, all the circuses all the time!
That and an EBT card (food stamps) and the masses will be happy.
Right on - they’re all “entitled!”
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.