Laser-pointing system could help tiny satellites transmit data to Earth
A new laser-pointing platform developed at MIT may help launch miniature satellites into the high-rate data game.
A new laser-pointing platform developed at MIT may help launch miniature satellites into the high-rate data game.
Optics & Photonics
Dec 16, 2018
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415
Ultrashort optical pulses are becoming increasingly relevant in a number of applications, including distance measurement, molecular fingerprinting and ultrafast sampling. Many of these applications rely not only on a single ...
Optics & Photonics
Oct 1, 2018
1
65
Nearly five years ago, NASA and Lincoln Laboratory made history when the Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD) used a pulsed laser beam to transmit data from a satellite orbiting the moon to Earth—more than 239,000 ...
Optics & Photonics
Aug 17, 2018
5
317
Every time we send an e-mail, a tweet, or stream a video, we rely on laser light to transfer digital information over a complex network of optical fibers. Dozens of high-performance lasers are needed to fill up the bandwidth ...
Optics & Photonics
Jun 12, 2018
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145
A spacecraft destined to explore a unique asteroid will also test new communication hardware that uses lasers instead of radio waves.
Space Exploration
Oct 19, 2017
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292
The scientific community has known about the existence of electrons for over a hundred years, but there are important facets of their interaction with matter that remain shrouded in mystery. One particular area of interest ...
General Physics
Jun 13, 2017
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205
NASA is developing a trailblazing, long-term technology demonstration of what could become the high-speed internet of the sky.
Space Exploration
Mar 22, 2017
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86
Thought your Internet speeds were slow? Try being a space scientist for a day.
Space Exploration
Feb 15, 2017
1
32
In a classic eureka moment, a team of physicists led by The City College of New York and including Herriot-Watt University and Corning Incorporated is showing how beams from ordinary laser pointers mimic quantum entanglement ...
Quantum Physics
Oct 28, 2015
3
3987
A NASA-developed laser communication (lasercom) system made headlines in 2013 when it demonstrated record-breaking data download and upload speeds to the moon. Now, a NASA optical physicist says he can match those speeds—plus ...
Space Exploration
Oct 23, 2015
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1071