The following topics discuss some interesting technologies that might someday influence the broadband industry.
Chip-level Photonics. Researchers at the CUNY Graduate Center have developed a thin, flat chip that can convert infrared light into precise frequencies of usable light that can be focused into a narrow, precise beam. The surface of the chip is patterned with tiny structures smaller than the wavelength of light. When hit with an infrared laser, tiny patterns convert the incoming light into a higher color as a narrow beam that can be steered by changing how the incoming light is polarized.
Scientists now envision a stack of different metasurfaces that could each be used to develop a different wavelength of light to use inside a chip to carry data. Effectively, this could create multiple laser light beams that were generated inside the chip without the expensive apparatus needed to inject external laser signals into each chip. Having a range of locally generated light signals could solve the problem of trying to move massive amounts of data into and out of the chip core – which is currently the biggest bottleneck to fast computing.
Dirt-Powered Fuel Cells. A team at Northwestern University has developed a device that can generate electricity by harvesting the power created by microbes that naturally reside in the soil and naturally break down organic matter. The fuel cell is about the size of a paperback book. The device has a disc-shaped anode that is buried in the soil with a second anode poking out near the surface. The device is large enough to tap the natural moisture in the soil at the bottom of the device. In testing, the device works across various soil conditions. The devices tested so far are creating 68 times more power than needed to operate the fuel cell, meaning there is a lot of power available to power other devices like agricultural sensors. The beauty of the technology is that it should work for many years without any need to replace batteries or other components like is needed for other power sources that could be used for similar applications. A fuel cell should work as long as there is enough carbon and moisture to fuel the natural microbes there.
New Laser Technology. Researchers at Tianjin University have created a new kind of optical device that can generate a light phenomena called skyrmions. The research shows that two skyrmions can be created, which are donut-shaped light patters that hold their shape – one that can be controlled by electric energy and the other by magnetic energy. The skyrmions are highly stable and resist interference, making them a good candidate for storing and transmitting data.
These new light sources could open up the use of terahertz wavelength lasers that could actively switch between light and magnetic mode, enabling a huge increase in the amount of data included in a laser transmission. This could provide the control of data flow needed to take full advantage of using a terahertz light source for data transmission. The key to making this work will be perfecting the constant flux between the light and magnetic pulses.
Forever Batteries? Scientists at the CSIRO Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, and University of Melbourne, Australia, have developed a technology they are calling a quantum battery that can be recharged in a quadrillionths of a second, and that can work with six orders of magnitude of stored energy, making it practical for real-life applications. Unlike traditional batteries that use a chemical reaction to store and release energy, a quantum battery transfers energy using quantum coherence and collective interactions, rather than chemistry.
Normal batteries take a long time to recharge, and eventually the chemicals must be replaced, usually meaning replacing the battery. With traditional batteries, the larger the battery, the longer the time needed to recharge. Quantum batteries are the opposite, and the larger the battery, the faster it can be recharged. This is due to a phenomenon of collective effects between particles, which causes all of the storage units in a quantum battery to behave collectively.
The downside of quantum batteries is that the battery can also discharge all of its power quickly, and the challenge has been to find a way to control the output. The Australian team has demonstrated a full battery cycle from light absorption to storage to of electrical power output at room temperature and steady-state operation, showing that the quantum batteries have potential for real-life applications. The batteries can also be charged wirelessly, which opens up the possibility for remote charging.