LIMS could be faster with new optical technology

Laboratory information management systems (LIMS) could be accelerated through the use of newly developed optical networking technology.

In theory, optical networks should be capable of transmitting information within LIMS at the speed of light - more than 670 million miles per hour.

But in practice there are physical limitations on the processing of data, introduced due to cross-talk between signals and phase noise.

Scientists led by the University of Southampton have now developed a means of encoding data in the phase of a light beam, rather than in its amplitude.

With almost €3 million (£2.6 million) of EU funding, the PHASORS project promises to deliver signals much less susceptible to cross-talk.

Moreover, noisy signals received by the system can be cleaned, removing not just phase noise but also amplitude interference.

Project leader Professor David Richardson says: "This result is an important first step towards the practical implementation of all-optical signal processing of phase-encoded signals."