Realising free-space communication with quantum cascade lasers (Research Outreach)
18 December 2020
Image Vit-Mar/Shutterstock via Research Outreach
As cheap and accessible tools for transmitting private information, freely propagating light waves are highly desirable for parties operating secure communication networks. However, the encoded information these waves contain can easily be lost due to unpredictable fluctuations in the Earth’s atmosphere.
In their research, Frédéric Grillot and Olivier Spitz at Télécom Paris have developed sophisticated new techniques to overcome this challenge. With specific lasers enciphering their information in chaotic patterns, the team’s work could soon help to realise secure, global-scale networks, without the need for fibre optics.