Doughnut-shaped laser beam used to create fibre optics from thin air

lasers
(Image credit: Paradox Interactive)

Much of this story is going to sound like hokum, but bear with me because doughnut-shaped laser beams have become my new favourite scientific innovation. Especially since scientists were able to effectively create a kind of optical fibre cable from thin air. Frickin' laser beams, man. But why do we need laser-based fibre optics when we have standard glass fibre optics?

The base problem here is in using light to transfer data. While it is much faster than using metal cables, it's easy to lose data through light beam expansion as it stretches down the beam. The tactic to minimise this kind of data loss right now, which I'm sure you're familiar with, is by the use of fibre optic cables.

Fibre optic technology has been delivering us from dead-slow internet speeds since the '70s, but the kind of light beams necessary for more intense work have the potential to melt generic fibre optic cables. So, the question has remained: How can we send light-based data over long distances when fibre optics aren't an option?

Thanks to Howard Milchberg, and his team of researchers at the University of Maryland, that question may have been answered with a powerful laser beam, curled into the shape of a doughnut (via New Scientist).

By firing their laser for just 300 quadrillionths of a second, the researchers were able to create a 45 metre tubelike structure seemingly from thin air, which was able to guide a light pulse without the use of physical cabling.

Your next upgrade

(Image credit: Future)

Best CPU for gaming: The top chips from Intel and AMD
Best gaming motherboard: The right boards
Best graphics card: Your perfect pixel-pusher awaits
Best SSD for gaming: Get into the game ahead of the rest

The structure is known as an 'air waveguide', and works by blasting air particles with extreme heat to change their structure just enough that the light pulse stays confined. And while 45 metres may not seem like a long distance, it's a darn sight better than a previous attempt in 2014, which resulted in an air waveguide just 70 centimetres in length—not much use to anyone, but a step in the right direction.

You may be disappointed to learn this kind of tech is unlikely to end up improving your broadband speeds with super high-powered lasers. While fibre optics is a very close analog, the applications for air waveguides sit in the more obscure field of biohazard detection. Soon we could see this tech seeking out radioactive materials from miles away, though much more powerful lasers will be necessary if those kinds of distances are to be achieved.

Katie Wickens
Hardware Writer

Screw sports, Katie would rather watch Intel, AMD and Nvidia go at it. Having been obsessed with computers and graphics for three long decades, she took Game Art and Design up to Masters level at uni, and has been rambling about games, tech and science—rather sarcastically—for four years since. She can be found admiring technological advancements, scrambling for scintillating Raspberry Pi projects, preaching cybersecurity awareness, sighing over semiconductors, and gawping at the latest GPU upgrades. Right now she's waiting patiently for her chance to upload her consciousness into the cloud.

Read more
bulky headphones on black made using x rays
'We essentially created a virtual headset': Scientists transmit inaudible sound using ultrasonic beams to create single person 'audio enclaves'
fibre optics shooting past electronics of broadband hub
Sorry, 2024's record-breaking 402,000,000 Mbps internet connection isn't available at your house yet
Meta Project Waterworth map
Meta announces plans for epic new undersea data cable longer than the circumference of the Earth
A scientist looking into a microscope
Japanese boffins invent the 'world's smallest shooting game' by using an electron beam to blast particles one billionth of a metre in size
Intuitive Machines' IM-2 Lunar Lander Successfully Commissioned and En Route to the Moon.
The moon is getting 4G before parts of my town
A photo of Nvidia's Zorah graphics demo running a large gaming monitor
Nvidia's expanded Zorah demo tells us how AI is the future of graphics: 'There's no rasterization going on at all. This is all ray traced and the amazing part is that it's actually faster than rasterizing'
Latest in Networking
Netgear Nighthawk XR1000
Netgear says certain router owners should 'download the latest firmware as soon as possible' to patch a critical vulnerability
TP-Link AXE75 Wi-Fi 6E router
US congressman calls again for the government to ban Chinese-made TP-Link routers: 'I would not have that in my home'
An illustration of a silhouetted thief in motion running while carrying a stolen fingerprint. This could represent individuality, identity, privacy concerns, or a concept of personal data being in motion or at risk. The combination of the human form with the unique identifier of a fingerprint offers a visual metaphor for themes such as identity theft, digital security, or the trace we leave behind in a digital age. The overall aesthetic is bold and dynamic, fitting for topics of cybersecurity, personal identity, or discussions about the intersection of humanity and technology.
Hackers hijack over 16,000 TP-Link network devices, creating a big ol' botnet that's absolutely slamming Microsoft Azure accounts
Netgear Nighthawk RS300 Wi-Fi 7 router
Netgear Nighthawk RS300 review
TP-Link Archer GE800 router
US lawmakers believe TP-Link networking products come with an 'unusual degree of vulnerabilities' leaving them vulnerable to hackers
A racing car in F1 2022 game with a cartoon explosion overlayed on top
Today I learned F1 cars can have their engines disabled wirelessly via IP connection
Latest in News
Napster client circa 1999
Former music-pirating platform Napster to be reborn rather ironically as a metaverse for musicians to connect with their fans after $207 million deal
The snazzy red and black HyperX Cloud Alpha wireless headphones float in a teal void. The microphone is attached to the headset.
The best wireless gaming headset is now even better in the Amazon Big Spring Sale, boasting a more than $50 discount
A chip being held up in an Intel fab
Intel is reportedly 'working to finalize commitments from Nvidia' as a foundry partner, suggesting gaming potential for the 18A node
Amazon box
Don't panic! The 'Do Not Send Voice Recordings' option Amazon just removed was only used by 0.03% of customers and they can still have it
Digital generated image of people surrounded by interactive transparent and glowing panels with data. Visualising smart technology, blockchain and artificial intelligence
Now I shall demand the cookies! Proposed new browsing agreement turns the tables and lets users dictate terms to websites
Intel CEO, Pat Gelsinger, with a 18A SRAM test wafer
Former Intel CEO, Pat Gelsinger becomes executive chairman of a 'Technology Platform Connecting the Faith Ecosystem' to work on Christian AI using DeepSeek