The chip can improve any technology based on high-precision timing and communication by reducing digital signal jitter.
New technology that converts light into microwave radiation could revolutionize GPS navigation systems and radars, according to scientists at the American National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), who have developed a special chip for this purpose, according to Nature.
The chip created at NIST can seamlessly convert light into microwaves; This helps improve the performance of the global positioning system (GPS), telephone and Internet connections, and the accuracy of radars. In fact, the new product can improve all kinds of technologies based on high-precision timing and communication by reducing the phenomenon of digital data signal jitter (digital jitter is unwanted phase or frequency deviations in the transmitted signal).
Microwave signals occasionally fluctuate and become erratic, causing them to be less stable and less accurate. The new device reduced the duration of such oscillations to 15 femtoseconds (a femtosecond is one quadrillionth of a second). In practice, this means significant improvements in signal stability and accuracy, which could increase the sensitivity of radars, improve the accuracy of analog-to-digital converters, and enable clearer astronomical images from telescopes.
Another advantage of NIST technology is its compactness. Typically, such systems have large desktop-sized dimensions, but researchers have managed to “shrink” it down to the size of a digital camera memory card. Smaller dimensions mean less power consumption and ease of use.
Important
For now, the components required for the device to operate are positioned externally to test their effectiveness. But in the future, developers will combine all elements into a single chip, including lasers, modulators, detectors and optical amplifiers.
Scientists from the University of Colorado Boulder, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, University of California at Santa Barbara, University of Virginia and Yale University also participated in the study.
We have previously written about how drones understand voice commands using the new Anura technology based on artificial intelligence. It has already been tested on the Teal 2 ISR military helicopter.
Source: Focus
Ashley Fitzgerald is an accomplished journalist in the field of technology. She currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a deep understanding of the latest technology developments, Ashley’s writing provides readers with insightful analysis and unique perspectives on the industry.