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Twisted Radio Beams Could Untangle the Airwaves

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the only-the-flying-spaghetti-monster-would-know-for-sure dept.

Urchin writes "The radio frequency spectrum available for wireless communication is becoming increasingly crowded thanks to new wireless technology. A solution to the shrinking space might be to put a spin on radio beams during their transmission, to produce a twisted beam, according to Swedish physicists. In theory, huge amounts of data could be sent in the pitch of the twist, which is distinct from the amplitude and frequency of radio waves — the features used at the moment to send information."

6 of 183 comments (clear)

  1. Two questions by jandrese · · Score: 4, Interesting

    1. How practical is this technology? Could you mass produce cheap low power receivers to put in every car/computer/etc...? How complex is the transmit circuitry?
    2. How resistant is this to atmospheric and other interference? In theory it should be pretty resistant, but in practice who knows.

    Needing multiple antennas to get this done sounds like a rather big limitation to me.

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    I read the internet for the articles.
  2. Re:damn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Am I missing something?

    These guys are proposing polarizing wireless transmissions. Polarization gets affected by ALL kinds of boundary irregularities, such as nearby cars light poles, traffic signal loops and, in buildings, conducting objects like nails, hinges, pipes, etc.

    This seems so noisy as to be useless.

  3. does satellite internet already do this? by steak · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I install wildblue satellite internet and we have two type of transceivers right hand and left hand polarization. after rtfa I am curious if this is the same thing or something different?

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    lose != loose
    1. Re:does satellite internet already do this? by scerruti · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I don't know about wildblue, but when I was working with satellite about 10 years ago DirecTV was circularly polarized DirecPC was not.

  4. FM is circularly polarized, not vertically! by NixieBunny · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Actually, broadcast FM is nearly always circularly polarized using a multi-bay antenna with a bunch of 3/4 circle center-fed elements, each with one end pointing up and the other down.

    If you weren't aware of this, go look atop an FM tower with binoculars some day.

    Good luck finding the published theory on these antennas, since they're all proprietary designs!

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    The determined Real Programmer can write Fortran programs in any language.
  5. Re:It's not about polarization by johncadengo · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This provides and entirely separate channel with its own bandwidth in addition to traditionally understood modulation. They're right to be excited about it; it has the potential of being just as big in scope as was the invention of radio.

    Isn't one of the hugest factors in the Fermi Paradox the "Great Silence" aka that if life in the universe is so abundant why don't we hear their radio transmissions?

    Now, how many other "channels" out there do you think exist that we simply have no grasp or knowledge of?

    Does this open up a new potential medium for listening?

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