The Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, the folks that helped develop atomic weapons, has developed a decidedly more peaceful device – a smaller, more versatile, energy- and cost-efficient directional broadband antenna. Known as the LightSlinger — the antenna uses polarization currents, animated within a dielectric to faster-than-light speeds, as its emission mechanism.
“The idea is to make the antenna direct beams of radio waves better to make them more conform-able in shape,” John Singleton, an electrical engineer and fellow at Los Alamos, said on the podcast Federal Drive with Tom Temin. “You can alter the way in which the antenna directs its radiation electronically very easily…in a way that conventional antennas cannot.”
The antenna has a simple design that allows it to be produced using simple, locally sourced components or 3D additive manufacturing processes. Antenna equipment manufacturers may leverage size, weight, ruggedness, and power efficiency to replace traditional systems or create completely new designs to meet the challenges posed by 5G and 6G.
The inventors believe that the cheap, durable, and easy-to-manufacture antenna can be used to close the digital divide in developing areas outside the bounds of traditional wireless infrastructure.
LightSlinger technology is fully functional, performs to specification, and has been extensively field tested at government labs and by commercial entities, according to the laboratory, which is seeking a partner to build commercial prototypes.
By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor
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