Twisted Radio Beams Used to Send Data at the Speed of 32 gigabytes per Second

Scientists have  found a way to twist radio beams and transmit data at 32 gigabytes per second.

The team at the University of Southern California used a technique to twist radio beams that they had previously used in a research that involved light beams.

The researchers said that using radio beams to transmit data bypasses the problems of using optical cables.

The study was conducted by researchers led by Alan Willner of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. During the experiments in a basement lab at USC, the team was able to transmit data at transmission rates reaching 32 gigabits per second across 2.5 meters of free space. For reference, at these speeds, one can send 10 hours of movie in just a second.

"Not only is this a way to transmit multiple spatially collocated radio data streams through a single aperture, it is also one of the fastest data transmission via radio waves that has been demonstrated," Willner said in a news release.

In the research, the team twisted each radio beam into an orthogonal DNA-like helical shape. Each beam had its own data and the twist was achieved using "spiral phase plate". The receiver had to uncouple these beams to get the information.

This isn't the first time that Willner and colleagues have sent data at lightning-fast speeds. Previous work conducted by the team has shown that data can be transmitted at 2.56 terabits per second. A major limitation of earlier studies has been that they use light beam. The researchers said that radio beams have several advantages over light.

"The advantage of radio is that it uses wider, more robust beams. Wider beams are better able to cope with obstacles between the transmitter and the receiver, and radio is not as affected by atmospheric turbulence as optics," Willner said in a news release.

Andy Molisch of USC Viterbi. Molisch, co-author of the study said that the new technology has several applications. For example, it can be used in ultra-high-speed links for the wireless 'backhaul', which connects next-generation cellular systems to transmission stations.

The study is published in the journal Nature Communications.