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Actually, I'd question the claim that, "Optical data transmission is inherently superior to radio" for interplanetary or interstellar communication, because optical communication is totally useless during the day, a lot of optical light is blocked by interstellar dust, and optical transmissions can much more easily get lost in the glare of star light. On the other hand, radio, which is essentially just another wavelength can penetrate dust clouds, atmospheres, and can be transmitted and received regardless of the weather or time of day. That's why we use it to communicate with space probes and satellites. Optical transmission only seems preferable in fiber optic, or specialized point-to-point laser applications.... Optical data transmission is inherently superior to radio which we're already phasing out ...
Optical (by which I mean light, not necessarily visible light) has a far higher transmission rate, will sustain coherency far longer, and for far smaller amounts of energy.Actually, I'd question the claim that, "Optical data transmission is inherently superior to radio" for interplanetary or interstellar communication, because optical communication is totally useless during the day, a lot of optical light is blocked by interstellar dust, and optical transmissions can much more easily get lost in the glare of star light. On the other hand, radio, which is essentially just another wavelength can penetrate dust clouds, atmospheres, and can be transmitted and received regardless of the weather or time of day. That's why we use it to communicate with space probes and satellites. Optical transmission only seems preferable in fiber optic, or specialized point-to-point laser applications.
Optical (by which I mean light, not necessarily visible light) has a far higher transmission rate, will sustain coherency far longer, and for far smaller amounts of energy. For a pretty simple reason: it's directed. Radio expands in a sphere, optical in a cone. Benefits of Optical Communications
Yup, the universe isn't transparent to much.Thanks for the link. Delving a little further into the details, optical includes the visible spectrum, and other adjacent frequencies to a certain point ( see chart below ). Basically, so long as lenses can be used to focus the waves, it's considered "optical", and because of that, there still remains the other challenges I had mentioned, and they are in-part acknowledged in the article. For example, to quote: "Even Earth's atmosphere interferes with optical communications. Clouds and mist can interrupt a laser. SCaN is investigating multiple approaches, like Disruption Tolerant Networking and satellite arrays to help deal with challenges derived from atmospheric means."
See also: Laser communication in space - Wikipedia
But still, it's cool to know about the latest developments in these new technologies. I enjoyed checking it out
The phrase "gravity waves" can refer to different things and this sometimes leads to confusion. The usual confusion is between the idea of gravity waves as analogous to light waves, where a hypothetical particle called a graviton is involved instead of a photon. No such particle or wave has ever been detected. For communications purposes, such a particle is theorized to travel no faster than light and because the effects of gravity and light diminish according to the inverse square law, both have the same limitations regarding signal strength over long distances.Except gravity waves maybe?
Ya I remember reading a sci-fi story once where some vastly powerful alien intelligence wobbled binary stars as a transmission medium -- because in theory gravity waves propagate across the entire universe at the speed of light, without a ton of interference.The phrase "gravity waves" can refer to different things and this sometimes leads to confusion. The usual confusion is between the idea of gravity waves as analogous to light waves, where a hypothetical particle called a graviton is involved instead of a photon. No such particle or wave has ever been detected. For communications purposes, such a particle is theorized to travel no faster than light and because the effects of gravity and light diminish according to the inverse square law, both have the same limitations regarding signal strength over long distances.
The other situation is where the gravitational effect of a system ( such as a binary star ) varies rapidly due to the short orbital period of the stars as they move around each other, resulting in a cycle of amplitude and frequency that is referred to as "gravity waves". It is believed that such waves have been measured by the LIGO sensor. Because of the huge masses involved, these types of gravity waves are impractical for communication purposes.