Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
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Free space optics is a field of communications in which signals are sent through open air over collimated beams of light (usually infrared). It has seen applications in building-to-building networks where laying wires would be impractical.
Fiber launching is a form of free space optics that takes place on a smaller scale. In a launched network, the contents of a fiber optic cable are adjusted to an aspheric lens and streamed point-to-point. It is only just beginning to be applied to data centers, and that makes it a cutting-edge technology.
In 2017, a joint study between Carnegie Melon, Stony Brook and Penn State explored an application of using infrared beams to network computers together, but their implementation required a high-precision microvibrational mirror, which was impractical and difficult to expand compared to fiber launching.
Our patent covers a new form of multiplexing that uses polarized light to overlap but preserve individual optical signals. Multiplexing is a technique in which signals are overlaid to increase the amount of data transmitted in a single transmission. By using polarized light, we may further multiplex signals that have already been multiplexed based on their wavelength, and stream multiple high-speed signals at the same time.
Even better, the overlapped signals wouldn't interfere or even take up bandwidth within the Axon, because photons pass through each other unless the conditions are perfect for interfering.
No. The Axon is an entirely new type of optical networking hardware that has characteristics similar to both switches and parallel optical interfaces.
However, it is essential to note that the primary mechanisms of the Axon are to make live copies of network signals by splitting beams, and to compress network signals by overlapping beams.
The Axon is compatible with any fiber optic cable. Since we're using beam splitters to distribute the signals, you may transmit at any speed, protocol, or direction as long as you have a receiver ready for your signal. In principle, you could even mix analog and digital signals, but the circumstances in which one would find it necessary to do that are likely few, and definitely questionable.
Other companies have invested in building faster and faster electronics, but our approach is to program the light itself and let passive components distribute the signals naturally. This approach requires no computational resources or external power within the optical network.