Twisted photons could make fibre optics obsolete

pic: University of Glasgow

Scientists have taken an important step towards using twisted' light as a form of wireless, high-capacity data transmission which could make fibre-optics obsolete. In a new report published in the journal Science Advances, a team of physicists based in the UK, Germany, New Zealand and Canada outlined new research into optical angular momentum' (OAM) which could overcome current difficulties with using twisted light across open spaces.

Scientists can twist' photons individual particles of light by passing them through a special type of hologram, similar to that on a credit card, giving the photons a twist known as optical angular momentum.

While conventional digital communications use photons as ones and zeroes to carry information, the number of intertwined twists in the photons allows them to carry additional data something akin to adding letters alongside the ones and zeroes. The ability of twisted photons to carry additional information means that optical angular momentum has the potential to create much higher-bandwidth communications technology.

While optical angular momentum techniques have already been used to transmit data across cables, transmitting twisted light across open spaces has been significantly more challenging for scientists to date. Even simple changes in atmospheric pressures across open spaces can scatter light beams and cause the spin information to be lost.

The researchers examined the effects on both the phase and intensity of OAM carrying light over a real link in an urban environment to assess the viability of these modes of quantum information transfer.

Their free space link, in Erlangen, Germany, was 1.6km in length and passed over fields and streets and close to high-rise buildings to accurately simulate an urban environment and atmospheric turbulence that can disrupt information transfer in space a thorough approach that will be instrumental in moving OAM research forward.

Conducting this field tests in a real urban environment, has revealed exciting new challenges that will that must be overcome before systems can be made commercially available. Previous studies had indicated the potential feasibly of OAM communication systems, but had not fully characterised the effects of turbulent air on the phase of the structured light propagating over links of this length.

Dr. Martin Lavery, head of the Structured Photonics Research Group at University of Glasgow, is the lead author on the team's research paper. Dr Lavery said: In an age where our global data consumption is growing at an exponential rate, there is mounting pressure to discover new methods of information carrying that can keep up with the huge uptake in data across the world.

A complete, working optical angular momentum communications system capable of transmitting data wirelessly across free space has the potential to transform online access for developing countries, defence systems and cities around the world.

Free space optics is a solution that can potentially give us the bandwidth of fibre, but without the requirement for physical cabling.

This study takes vital steps forward in the journey towards high dimensional free space optics that can be a cheaper, more accessible alternative to buried fibre optics connections.

Dr Lavery undertook the work in partnership with researchers from the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light and Institute of Optics, and the Universities of Otago, Ottawa and Rochester.

The paper, titled Free-space propagation of high dimensional structured optical fields in an urban environment', is published in Science Advances. The work was funded by Royal Academy of Engineering, EPSRC and supported by the International Max Planck Partnership.

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