Two experimental satellites, one German and the other American, proved that a modern communication technology that uses lasers instead of radio waves increases the bandwidth by dozens of times
The information sent back and forth between the German TerraSAR-X satellite and the American NFIRE satellite travels 5,000 km at the speed of light, and all this without any error. What was so special about this experiment, you ask? The fact that the communication was carried out using lasers and light rays!
The bandwidth achieved was tens of meters higher than the bandwidth received in normal communication by radio waves, and the information transmitted can transfer 400 DVDs in just one hour.
The new technology will allow satellites in space to transmit larger information packages than before to other satellites and ground stations, this is in contrast to the current technology which is limited in the bandwidth that can be transmitted on the radio waves.
Another advantage of using lasers comes from the ability to concentrate the light rays to one point, and thus the communication will become more efficient and accurate since the information will be sent directly to the communication module of the target satellite. Additional consequences of using this data communication concern the security of the information, while the radio waves disperse during the transmission and allow anyone to receive them easily, the use of lasers is carried out by concentrated light beams that pass between two points so that the information is transmitted in a secure manner.
The communication modules of the satellites were developed by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT with partial funding from the German Aerospace Center.
"The communication module has to withstand various conditions such as the acceleration force during launch and later withstand the hostile conditions in space - such as high radiation and high temperature differences," says Martin Trabo, who led the development. For this purpose, the communication module underwent tests in advance under extreme conditions, at temperatures from -35°C to 60°C, acceleration forces 1,300 times stronger than the Earth's, and gamma ray radiation.
The communication module must be small enough and light enough to be used in space, its dimensions are 5-5-2 centimeters, and it weighs a little more than a chocolate box, about 130 grams. "We achieved minimal weight by judicious choice of materials and sophisticated storage. All unnecessary materials were eliminated," says Traub. The main challenge that remains, after removing the excess weight, is the heat generated by the laser which still needs to be dissipated.
The team overcame several engineering challenges during the development and it seems that the day is not far when satellites in orbit will talk to each other with the help of laser technology. Although the development is not complete and the team continues to develop the product, many will agree that this is the future communication technology that will significantly increase the bandwidth and take the place of radio wave based communication.
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To the pessimist, it seems to me that what you are really trying to ask is whether natural light could disrupt the laser communication? Like sunlight which, among other things, also contains an infrared frequency. the mother?
A disadvantage that was not mentioned is the ability to disrupt or block the signal by physically blocking the stations. Also, it is theoretically possible to "transmit" a foreign laser signal to the station that will disrupt its ability to receive the intended signal. On the other hand, it can be argued that jamming a radio signal can be done remotely and without the need to identify the location of the stations by transmitting a signal on the same frequency with a sufficiently large power...
The subheading: "Two experimental satellites, one German and the other American, have proven that a modern communication technology that uses lasers instead of radio waves increases the bandwidth by dozens of times" This does not require proof. That light waves can transmit a higher bandwidth than radio waves is a known physical fact that has been exploited for many years. The trick is the application of laser communication.
And in general - and this is also an answer to the matter of aliens - you can call with a laser when you know exactly the exact direction of the other station and then you also need to know how to transmit the beam in exactly the right direction. As the direction of the second station is less known, it is necessary to broadcast with a wider beam, and even if you want to call several stations in different directions, then the radio technology is applicable - with antennas whose directionality is adjusted to the desired transmission sector until a completely directional transmission is possible.
The question asked, and it's a shame they didn't elaborate on this in the article, what is the degree of interference with the laser by the weather? That is, is the efficiency maintained in case there is cloudiness or unusual atmospheric conditions???
Hanan Sabat
http://WWW.EURA.ORG.IL
post Scriptum. To be fair - not all devices create radio radiation (laser devices do not and devices based on light - such as optical communication, etc.). SETI is looking for a technology that we have only been using for 100 years and are already beginning to find alternatives to it (see the above article). That's why I ask about SETI, is their point of departure even correct. Why think that advanced civilizations will use radio waves to communicate?
All of their devices create a kind of radio pinging and radio receivers are not looking for a clear transmitter of an image or something, but are looking for a pattern that cannot be caused by a natural phenomenon but only by some device
I assume that if there are developed civilizations in space, they use such or more advanced communication methods, so there is no chance of discovering them with the help of projects like SETI
What are your knowledgeable opinions?
It's an amusing pun, and not a mistake :>
Creasing skin and not light 🙂
Bob,
The word Kormat is the right one here.
good week,
Roy.
Do you work? Maybe you embroider.