Record-Breaking High Frequencies Cut Through the Fog

A new high-frequency submillimeter wave record has just been set by researchers at UCLA. The team employed an ingenious method of waveform reinforcement to achieve a frequency of 324 Ghz with a 90 nanometer CMOS integrated circuit (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor). To put this breakthrough in context, the UCLA signal generator produces frequencies 70% faster than the previous best.

But what does this all mean? Well, increasing the frequency of a signal effectively means increasing its bandwidth – more information can be sent in less time, which of course has implications for the entire communications sector. In terms of imaging, such frequencies could enable sensors to see through clothing, dense fog and further into space with better resolution then ever before. The development of a technique that can provide a signal at 340Ghz (which the team expect to achieve shortly) is of particular interest to the aerospace industry and the military, as signals in this submillimeter range can pass through the atmosphere unhindered. At lesser frequencies, signals can collide and interfere with molecular bonds in oxygen, water, carbon dioxide and so on, which reduces the effectiveness of the transmission. At 340Ghz however, the signal can pass through all atmospheric molecules without any interaction, enabling us to see clearly through fog, clouds and even water. For more details, have a look at Physorg.com.