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SPIN-V(E)CSELS FOR ULTRAFAST AND HIGHLY-EFFICIENT SPACE AND EARTH DATA COMMUNICATIONS

Project description

Overcoming limitations in space-earth communications

The massive increase in digital users, devices and services, as well as the increasing need for space-communication solutions for a variety of space operations, is rapidly outstripping the available supply and bandwidth of current infrastructure. Laser-based space-light communication is a promising solution for inter-satellite and ground-to-satellite communication, offering considerable benefits. However, the diminishing intensity of light travelling over long distances has limited its functionality. The EIC-funded SpinDataCom project aims to overcome these challenges by developing a solution for space and earth communications. The solution will utilise spintronics and semiconductor lasers injected with an unequal number of spin-up/down electrons to provide low-energy consumption and high-efficiency information coding and transport.

Objective

The explosive growth of available information requires a disruptive shift in the development of high-bandwidth and energy-efficient communication technology. At the same time, space-communication is critical with the acceleration of human activities in space. Laser-based space-light communication is attracting great interest due to the increasing demand for inter-satellite and ground-to-satellite communication. However, as the light intensity diminishes over long-distance, the development of a new light-coding method is crucial for reliable high-speed information transmission. It is questionable if future bandwidth requirements for earth and space communications will be met by conventional lasers, while keeping the overall power consumption manageable.
SpinDataCom will overcome these limitations and revolutionize space and earth communications combining the advances in spintronics and semiconductor lasers with injected unequal number of spin up/down electrons. The electron spin imbalance in spin-lasers is transferred to the circular polarization of light which enables ultrafast polarization modulation, low-power consumption and highly-efficient information coding, implemented even on a single photon. Our approach can be transferred to existing fiberoptic networks, exceeding conventional transmitters in data rates and power efficiency.
Gathering experts from 4 EU countries, SpinDataCom will build a disruptive proof-of-concept (TRL4) for spin-lasers, enabling ultrafast modulation via full electrical spin and magnetization control, to enable groundbreaking technologies for space and Earth data communication. This ambitious approach has potentially transformative impacts on society, economy, and environment due to its many applications on Earth and for space. With our Industrial Advisory Board, a strong communication, dissemination and exploitation plan, global visibility on SpinDataCom’s results will be ensured while enabling the transfer towards commercialization.

Keywords

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

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HORIZON-EIC - HORIZON EIC Grants

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) HORIZON-EIC-2024-PATHFINDEROPEN-01

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Coordinator

CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 1 299 768,75
Address
RUE MICHEL ANGE 3
75794 PARIS
France

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Region
Ile-de-France Ile-de-France Paris
Activity type
Research Organisations
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 1 299 768,75

Participants (7)

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