- New terahertz wireless transmission technology has broken a world record
- Researchers streamed high-definition video over a distance of 1.2 kilometers
- The record-breaking test shows promise for the future of wireless communications
A research team led by the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has successfully carried out the first-ever terahertz wireless communications transmission at the kilometer level.
The test, conducted at the Xueshan Pasture Astronomical Submillimeter Wave Observation Base in Haixi Prefecture, Qinghai Province, used superconducting receiving technology to transmit high-definition video signals over a distance of 1.2 kilometers.
This marks a major breakthrough in future communications technology, setting a world record for terahertz transmission over the longest distance above the 0.5 THz frequency band.
Terahertz technology is the future of communications
Terahertz communications, positioned between microwaves and light waves, are widely considered the “new frontier” in future communications systems. It offers strong penetration, extremely wide bandwidth and the potential for higher data transmission speeds than current technologies.
Given its exceptional capabilities, terahertz technology is seen as critical to the development of next-generation communications systems, including applications in space communications, medical imaging and astronomical observations.
One of the main challenges in terahertz communications is the significant signal attenuation that occurs during transmission, making long-distance communications extremely difficult. To address this problem, the research team used superconducting receiver technology, which offers high sensitivity and minimal signal loss.
The experiment took place at an altitude of over 4,000 meters on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Despite the transmitting end having a signal power of only 10 microwatts – equivalent to one millionth of the transmission intensity of a mobile phone base station – the superconducting receiver successfully captured the signals.
This achievement is the result of more than 30 years of research by Chinese scientists. Since the 1990s, China has been studying terahertz astronomical detection technology, with a focus on superconducting detector technology. Li Jing, a researcher at the Purple Mountain Observatory, likened the shift from microwave to terahertz communications to upgrading a two-lane highway to a six- or eight-lane highway.
The successful demonstration of terahertz communications technology opens new possibilities for its application in various fields, from high-speed data transmission to telemedicine and safety monitoring.
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