Scientists Invent Color ‘Atomic TV’ By Transmitting Live Footage Via Atoms
With smart televisions quickly becoming the norm in households across the globe, could “atomic televisions” be the next leap forward for the industry?
In an incredible feat, researchers at the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) successfully transmitted live video signals through a cloud of atoms onto a monitor for the first time.
To receive the video transmission, gaseous rubidium atoms were induced into a high-energy ‘Rydberg’ state using color lasers, in which they become sensitive to electromagnetic fields such as radio signals.
A stable signal was then applied to the cloud of atoms while monitoring the energy shifts within the glass container that modulated the carrier signal, which was then fed to a television screen via an analog-to-digital converter.
“We figured out how to stream and receive videos through the Rydberg atom sensors,” explained project leader Chris Holloway.
“Now we are doing video streaming and quantum gaming, streaming video games through the atoms. We basically encoded the video game onto a signal and detected it with the atoms. The output is fed directly into the TV,” he added.
Through experimentation, the researchers found that by using small beam diameters for both lasers, the output on the television screen was both quicker and better in color.
Data transfer reached an average of about 100 MB/s, which is considered an “excellent” speed, though the video definition was only at 480i, which may not be as captivating as the Ultra 4K HD we’re used to.
The team is looking into increasing the system’s bandwidth and data rates for faster, clearer images, adding that video capabilities could help enhance pre-existing radio systems, such as for emergency contact or surveillance.
Going forward, the researchers hope that atom-based communication systems could replace conventional electronics, as they take up less space and are more tolerant of cluttered environments.
Check out the system at work here.
