What is an oscilloscope?
Most of you Science Wiz out there already know that an Oscilloscope is used to measure electrical signals graphically with the help of frequency, amplitude, voltage, etc. But now, we rejoice because today we unveil the world’s first optical oscilloscope.
Who made this and how does this wizardry work?
The wizard that made this happen is a team from the University of Central Florida. They crafted a tool that can measure the electric field of light. Thanks to this electric field, the world’s first optical oscilloscope can convert light oscillations into electrical signals and then measure the amplitude, frequency, and voltage.
Why should we care?
This is a massive breakthrough in the digital world. The world’s first optical oscilloscope allows us to utilize light for data transfer, which oscillates at a much higher rate, around the gigahertz range, as opposed to more traditional radio and microwaves in the electromagnetic spectrum. Higher oscillation brings means that a significantly higher amount of data can be stored and transferred, maybe making it possible to finally see ultra-HD content on basic cable.
Before, scientists could only measure the pulse of light, but now we can accurately identify the peaks and throughs of the wave, where the information is actually stored. With time, the world can finally move into gigabit speeds and the tech world will get enriched with time.
