Electro-opticalSciences
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This electro-optical modulator is smaller than a lightwave
As data travels around the internet, it's routinely switched from electrical signals to light in order to travel through the network's fiber optic backbone. To do this, the signal travels through devices called electro-optic modulators. However, these devices are really bulky (usually several centimeters across) and require an inordinate amount of power to operate. However, a team from ETH Zurich recently published research in the journal Nature Photonics that outlines how they built a modulator one hundred times smaller and less power hungry than conventional models.
