Tim Radford
United States chemists and engineers have developed a polymer which could trigger another revolution in computing and communications – and bring Star Trek-style 3D hologram fantasies a step closer to reality.
Using the new material, they promise an “opto-chip” that will process signals at 100 gigabytes a second. This is the equivalent of War and Peace, multiplied 80 000 times, every second.
The material could accelerate information processing speeds 10-fold, but needs only a fraction of a volt of electricity to operate, according to the journal Science.
Microscopic devices made from it would translate electrical signals – from television, radar, computer and telephone – into optical signals to run down fibre optic cables, or to steer radio-waves and microwaves to tele-communications satellites.
“These electro-optic modulators will permit real time communication. You won’t have to wait for your computer to download even the largest files,” said Larry Dalton, a chemist who led teams from the University of Washington and the University of Southern California.
The scientists found that a chip measuring a thousandth of a millimetre across could provide 300 gigahertz of bandwidth – enough to handle all the telephone, computer, television and satellite traffic of a major corporation.
The chips could make possible a three dimensional holographic projection with no flicker – a step closer to the “holodeck” in which characters from Star Trek: The Next Generation created their fantasy worlds.
It could be used in aircraft navigation, and anticollision radar in cars. “It has the potential of revolutionising the way we function,” said Dalton.