A team of researchers, from the CESAM of the University of Aveiro (UA) and the Institute of Telecommunications (IT), has been awarded the prize for the best scientific paper, an accolade granted annually by the prestigious Journal of Lightwave Technology, one of the most important scientific journals of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers).
The IEEE, the world’s largest organisation in electrical engineering and technology, was founded in the United States of America and currently has more than 460,000 members across over 190 countries.
“This award crowns the work of the interdepartmental and multidisciplinary research team from the Institute of Telecommunications and the Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) at UA. The study was conducted within the scope of the FCT OptWire project, which is currently in its final phase,” states the research team, comprising IT researchers Fernando Guiomar, Marco Fernandes, Leonardo Nascimento, and Paulo Monteiro, along with Vera Rodrigues, from CESAM/DAO.
“The Best Paper Award of the IEEE Journal of Lightwave Technology is one of the most prestigious international awards in the field of optical communications. The articles distinguished with this accolade stand out for presenting disruptive concepts that have had a transformative impact on scientific research in the area of optical communications,” highlights the team.
The award-winning study focuses on the investigation of wireless optical communication systems capable of supporting transmissions of multiple Terabit/s, with potential applications in space communications (satellite-to-satellite, satellite-to-Earth, and interplanetary links) and the future generation of 6G mobile communications. To achieve this, the team from the Institute of Telecommunications developed novel advanced techniques for signal processing and transmission, enabling unprecedented data transmission speeds.
Additionally, the CESAM researcher contributed with a detailed analysis of meteorological data, particularly regarding the impact of atmospheric turbulence on the system’s communication performance. Together, this innovative work has practically validated the potential of wireless optical communications to revolutionise future telecommunications networks.