VUB scientist speeds up internet by slowing down light frequencies

Summary

An international group of researchers have found a way to make communication networks work faster

Trick of the light

An international team of researchers, including scientists from the Free University of Brussels (VUB), have found a way to slow down the light that’s used to send data in optic communication networks such as the internet. Paradoxically, this makes communication networks work faster.

Lower light speeds mean the traffic of data can be regulated better, which helps to send data more smoothly and thus faster.

Current techniques only allow the light of very specific colours to be slowed, while the other colours around continue to travel at their normal speed. VUB researcher Vincent Ginis has now developed a method, with international colleagues, to slow down a large quantity of light frequencies at the same time.

The new technique creates the illusion that the distance that needs to be covered is a lot larger than the actual physical distance. This way, the light can be slowed down to speeds that can be determined by scientists.

The breakthrough could also reduce the energy use of the most energy-consuming components in optic communication networks, like  Wi-Fi routers. The efficiency of such components increases when light passes the circuits at a lower speed.

“The speed of light has been used decades, so it’s about time we also used its slowness,” Ginis told DataNews. The study’s conclusions  are published in Applied Physics Letters.

Photo: Ingimage 

Free University of Brussels (VUB)

The VUB was established as a spin-off of the French-speaking Université Libre de Bruxelles in the 1960s. It’s an internationally oriented and liberal institution, and the only Dutch-speaking university in the capital.
Work - The VUB is the largest Dutch-speaking employer of the Brussels-Capital Region.
St V - Every year, students honour university founder Pierre Theodore Verhaegen in a festive, booze-filled “St V” march through the city.
Campus - The VUB is the only Dutch-speaking university with a small, American-style green campus.
68

Master’s programmes offered

70

million euros in research budget in 2010

12 000

students in 2011-2012 academic year

  • Free University of Brussels
  • Study in Flanders
  • Universitaire Associatie Brussel