We steered a laser beam through atmospheric turbulence to show how this technology could benefit fundamental science and spacecraft communications. Light can carry a lot more information than radio waves can. The bandwidth (data rate) of a transmission is limited by the frequency of that transmission. This is the main difference between 4G and 5G … Continue reading Shake it off: taking the twinkle out of a laser beam
Tag: space
Quantum key distribution offers a way to transmit data with security guaranteed by the laws of physics themselves. While these communications cannot be hacked, my colleagues and I found that they can be jammed. The security of our modern communications systems, from emails to banking, from militaries to private individuals, rely on the immense difficulty … Continue reading Can Quantum Communications be Jammed?
Optical phased arrays are a way to construct a really powerful laser beam, and steer it precisely without mirrors or lenses. Making an optical phased array that can steer millions of times per second would be a huge boon to systems like LIDAR for autonomous cars. But to make something move that fast, you need … Continue reading Fast steering optical phased array: how to trick a control system
Quantum mechanics is weird. To be a physicist you have to accept that the microscopic, underlying reality of nature looks and behaves very differently to the laws of physics we are used to in our every day lives. Many physicists struggle to accept this, including Einstein. Einstein disliked the fact that quantum mechanics, a theory … Continue reading Spooky Action at a Distance
We used a telescope and a high-precision laser system to beam an atomic clock signal through thin air. While we only sent the signal between buildings, this is the first step in developing a system able to beam these signals to satellites in orbit, with the ultimate aim of pushing our theories of the universe … Continue reading Between a clock and outer space
“Communication is not something you add on to science; it is of the essence of science.” – Alan Alda I consider science communication to be an important part of what I do as a scientist. Science and humanity derive the greatest benefit from research when scientists go beyond the cloistered environment of their fields and … Continue reading Signs of Science
30 things astronauts are not allowed to do in space. Inspired by the infamous Skippy List. I can only hope that one day I may have the opportunity to break any of these rules. 1. I am not allowed to fly around the cabin like Superman when I am supposed to be working. 2. The correct hull … Continue reading 30 Rules for Astronauts
Last week I was interviewed for the always interesting and entertaining Astrophiz podcast. I had a great time talking about my work, astrophysics, and science in general. Check it out: Astrophiz 51: Dr David Gozzard ~ Telescope pilot taking the pulse of the Universe
Last year’s ground breaking gravitational wave detections generated some of the widest media coverage of a scientific discovery to date. Many articles and reports described the detection as the “ultimate” test of general relativity, the “final” test of general relativity, or confirmation of Einstein’s “last” prediction. For a theory that is 100 years old, that … Continue reading Gravitational Waves are Not the Ultimate Test of General Relativity
Why we should build a swimming pool on the Moon We choose to build a pool on the Moon, not because it is easy, but because it is hard. A recent special issue of the New Space journal reported on the reasons and methods for constructing a permanently inhabited lunar colony, and that it could be … Continue reading Floating in the Sea of Tranquility
David Gozzard 