Recently, foreign media reported that in order to better carry out laser communication, Switzerland is studying how to let the laser through the cloud technology.
Laser communication is a way to transmit information by laser. The laser communication system consists of two parts: sending and receiving. The sending part mainly includes laser, light modulator and optical transmitting antenna. The receiving part mainly includes optical receiving antenna, optical filter and optical detector. The information to be transmitted is sent to an optical modulator connected to the laser, which modulates the information on the laser and sends it out through an optical transmitting antenna. At the receiving end, the optical receiving antenna receives the laser signal and sends it to the optical detector, which turns the laser pointer signal into an electrical signal and turns it into the original information after amplification and demodulation.
One of the biggest disadvantages of laser communication is that the light cannot be blocked. Once the light path is blocked, the information cannot be transmitted. This is especially serious in the ground-to-ground communication between satellites and the earth.
To prevent clouds from blocking the laser’s transmission, the university of Geneva, Switzerland, is working on a way to burn a temporary “hole” in the cloud with a super-hot laser, which would allow laser communication even with cloud cover.
The researchers say the technology can now penetrate clouds half a meter thick, which contain 10,000 times more water per unit volume than normal clouds.
This technology will be promoted globally around 2025, which is of great significance for the promotion and popularization of laser communication.