Record transmission capability claimed by SilkRoad
Newcomer SilkRoad Inc. (San Diego, CA) announced that it has developed a method of transmitting data at rates of 80 Gbit/s or more through a single optical fiber using a laser emitting at a single wavelength. The technology, dubbed "optical refractive synchronization," combines an external modulator with a diode laser having an output power of 115 mW and a bandwidth of only 175 Hz; the company also is developing a detector capable of reading data at rates of up to 1 THz. The company, headed by chairman and chief technical officer James Palmer, says it has nondisclosure agreements with major equipment vendors. Considerable skepticism has been expressed that such a small company could pull together the technology, people, and facilities to properly launch such a new technology, especially one not yet described in peer-reviewed technical journals.