The first laser radio opens the way for ultra-fast WiFi

The development builds on the laboratory's previous advances, which discovered that it was possible to use an infrared frequency comb in lasers to generate terahertz wavelengths capable of moving data – at speeds hundreds of times faster than today's wireless Internet services. The latest discoveries allow to extract and transmit wireless signals from the frequency comb, made possible by the creation of a rabbit ears type antenna capable of receiving and decrypting the information transmitted by the laser. The first thing they sent: the song "Volare" by Dean Martin.

Harvard has been experimenting with terahertz lasers for more than a decade now, and while researchers believe the latest developments bode well for the future of wireless communication, the effective use of terahertz communication has not changed. . That said, lasers have proven to be a viable option for data transfer, and companies like Facebook and Google have experimented with providing high-speed Internet to under-served areas via lasers.