Chalmers will formally open its new Fibre Optic Communications Research Centre next month, bringing added strength to research into fibre optic systems.
“Now we are co-ordinating all research at Chalmers that relates to optical communication. This cooperation extends across traditional disciplinary boundaries and covers the whole chain, from component to system, and from experiment to analysis,” says Peter Andrekson, head of the centre.
The core of the centre, which is based at the Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience, comprises research groups from the Photonics Laboratory, and from the Communication Systems and Information Theory Division at the Department of Signals and Systems. The team will work on both relatively short-term, industry-oriented research, and on more long-term research of a fundamental nature.
“The centre is open to everyone at Chalmers who is interested in becoming involved. This is expected to result in new, interesting links and ideas,” Andrekson says. “One specific purpose is to create internal and external visibility, but also to act as a meeting point for researchers, students and industry.”
One example of a current research theme is high-spectral efficiency communication. This involves methods by which more information is squeezed into an optical fibre with limited optical bandwidth, making it possible to satisfy the rapidly growing need for capacity. Another example is in cost-effective, energy-efficient solutions when optical communication is used for shorter distances – as in its growing use in consumer electronics.
The official inauguration of the centre takes place on May 27, 2010.
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