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The world record for the most stable transmission of a laser signal through the atmosphere has been broken.
Scientists at the International Center for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) and the University of Western Australia (UWA) broke the record using “phase stabilization” technology alongside advanced self-guided optical terminals.
“We can correct atmospheric turbulence in 3D, i.e. left-right, up-down and, critically, along the line of flight,” said Benjamin Dix-Matthews, doctoral student at the ICRAR and UWA.
“This allows us to send very stable laser signals through the atmosphere while maintaining the quality of the original signal,” Matthews continued, adding that “it is as if the moving atmosphere has been suppressed and did not exist”.
This development means that laser signals could be sent from point to point without atmospheric interference, meaning that more data can be transmitted between satellites and Earth with greater efficiency than can currently be obtained.
“Our technology could help us increase the data rate from satellites to the ground by orders of magnitude”, Dr Sascha Schediwy, senior researcher at ICRAR-UWA
“The next generation of large data collection satellites would be able to transmit critical information to the ground faster.”
Another advantage of this technology is that it is the most accurate way in the world to compare the flow of time between two different places.
“If you have one of these optical terminals on the ground and another on a satellite in space, then you can start exploring fundamental physics,” said Dr Schediwy.
“Everything from testing Einstein’s general theory of relativity more precisely than ever before, to discovering how fundamental physical constants have changed over time.”
The technology could also be used in earth science and geophysical research, allowing satellites to study how the water table changes over time or to search for ore deposits underground.
Phase stabilization technology was originally developed to synchronize incoming signals from the Square Kilometer Array telescope – a multi-billion dollar telescope to be built in Western Australia and South Africa from 2021.
The researchers’ results will be published under the title “Point-to-point stabilized optical frequency transfer with active optics” in the journal Communications of nature.
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