OpportunitiesOpportunities forfor aa SustainableSustainable CommunicationsCommunications TechnologyTechnology Stefan Spaarmann [email protected] 2009 1 Presentation given at the Conference of the Compentence Initiative for the Protection of Humanity, Environment and Democracy at Chateau Klingenthal in 2009. From 2008 to 2009, the project received guidance from the BUND Saxony, Working Group Electrosmog and Radiation Protection - Citizen Project “The Electromagnetic Eye”. Valuable suggestions were received from Claus Scheingraber / Working Group Electrobiology Munich, Ingrid Dickenson / Bio-Electromagnetic Research Initiative (BEMRI) , Birgit Stöcker / Federal Association for Electrosensitive, and Karl Richter / Competence Initiative. [email protected] 2009 2 SummarySummary The historical development and trends in optical communications engineering are outlined. Problems with light and electromagnetic pollution, information clutter, off-limits frequencies, sensory overload are discussed, showing that, for environmental reasons, currents of communication (incl. light) must run inside cables as much as possible. Photon-based networks are already worldwide the backbone of communications. The further extension of fiber-optic cables to the end user is indispensable. RF radiation is not sustainable as a basis for mass communication. It will be shown that--just like in nature--light or optical communication is possible without pollution. A concept for an optical cell phone is introduced. [email protected] 2009 3 TODAYTODAY [email protected] 2009 4 EnvironmentalEnvironmental PollutionPollution throughthrough MicrowavesMicrowaves andand aa BlatantBlatant WasteWaste ofof EnergyEnergy www.strahlengefahr.de [email protected] 2009 5 UnderUnder ConstantConstant FireFire fromfrom MicrowaveMicrowave PulsesPulses Personal Dosimeter Monitoring in Northern Saxony, Germany [email protected] 2009 6 TheThe BasicsBasics [email protected] 2009 7 WhatWhat doesdoes “sustainable”“sustainable” mean?mean? CommunicationsCommunications technologiestechnologies mustmust meetmeet thethe needsneeds ofof datadata transmissiontransmission withoutwithout pollutingpolluting thethe environment.environment. RFRF radiationradiation goesgoes upup toto aboutabout 300300 GHzGHz oror millimetermillimeter waves.waves. InIn fact,fact, therethere isis nono sustainablesustainable RFRF technologytechnology becausebecause itit isis alwaysalways associatedassociated withwith electromagneticelectromagnetic pollution.pollution. OurOur Proposition:Proposition: LightLight cancan bebe thethe wayway out.out. InIn contrast,contrast, RFRF radiationradiation forfor massmass communicationcommunication mustmust graduallygradually bebe removedremoved fromfrom thethe airwavesairwaves becausebecause itit isis suspectedsuspected ofof jeopardizingjeopardizing thethe genegene poolpool onon Earth.Earth. [email protected] 2009 8 EMFEMF http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Atmospheric_electromagnetic_transmittance_or_opacity.jpg [email protected] 2009 9 PrinciplesPrinciples ofof CommunicationsCommunications withwith EMFEMF AA transmittertransmitter emitsemits thethe carriercarrier frequencyfrequency modulatedmodulated byby thethe encodedencoded informationinformation signals;signals; aa receiverreceiver demodulatesdemodulates oror decodesdecodes it.it. MediumMedium:: WaveWave GuideGuide (zero(zero exposure)exposure) // AirwavesAirwaves (radiation,(radiation, exposure)exposure) AirwavesAirwaves:: RFRF RadiationRadiation // LightLight (FSO)(FSO) Bit/sBit/s:: ProportionalProportional FrequencyFrequency BandwidthBandwidth [email protected] 2009 10 TheThe SpecialSpecial PropertiesProperties ofof LightLight TheThe physicalphysical propertiesproperties ofof lightlight differdiffer fromfrom thosethose ofof radioradio andand microwavesmicrowaves (change(change ofof thinking).thinking). LineLine--ofof--SightSight (LOS)(LOS) TransmitterTransmitter –– Receiver:Receiver: SizeSize ofof aa cellcell determineddetermined byby existingexisting wallwall structuresstructures (femtocell(femtocell wherewhere required),required), connectionconnection viavia cablescables InIn casecase ofof highhigh bundlingbundling rates,rates, mobilemobile receiverreceiver andand transmittertransmitter mustmust tracktrack eacheach otherother →→ trackingtracking problemproblem →→ opticaloptical cellcell phonephone [email protected] 2009 11 PhotonicPhotonic NetworksNetworks z Without limitation of data transfer rates (bandwidth) z Cost savings over RF radiation technologies z No license fees, secure data transfer, eavesdropping-proof z Basic network structure already worldwide in place (fiber-optic networks) z Fiber-optic networks and wireless onesones supplement each other z Environmentally friendly (space-specific and free of wireless pollution) z Light does not go through walls, protection of humans and nature, protection of residences/property possible (Constitution) z Connection with existing technology (electronics, optics) z Optimal transmission efficiency z Transmission power savings on the order of magnitudes z Prime example of the unity between economy and ecology “Ecological Turning Point of the Communications Technology” [email protected] 2009 12 EvenEven withwith Light:Light: CautionCaution andand PrecautionPrecaution ¾ Glare (high intensity lamps, sun, laser) ¾ Flicker frequencies (compare ELF and structure-borne noise) ¾ Abnormal biorhythm due to artificial lighting (night work) ¾ Blue light portion of artificial lighting, sufficient daylight and incandescent light (continuum) ¾ Solar UV due to ozone hole, halogen lamp only with UV filter, sunglasses without UV protection hazardous ¾ Overstimulation through visual impressions (too much illuminated advertising, TV, computer work, games, Internet) [email protected] 2009 13 EE--smogsmog -- Lightsmog,Lightsmog, OffOff--limitslimits FrequenciesFrequencies ¾ In a physics sense, light is also EMF even though it features totally different properties. In fact, lightsmog is also electrosmog. Just like with RF radiation, quantitative exposure levels must stay within the framework of nature (otherwise glare) ¾ Natural frequencies essential to life must also remain off-limits for light modulations (brain waves, Schumann resonances, fair weather frequencies, etc.), qualitative components of smog ¾ Information clutter is a basic problem with any mass communication (unnatural and constant overstimulation) -> [email protected] 2009 14 AwayAway withwith thethe InformationInformation ClutterClutter ¾ Without information no life, but too much means overstimulation, overstimulation makes sick ¾ Information clutter may, but does not have to be directly accessible to our sensory organs, can be visible or invisible, audible or inaudible, detectable or not--whether it penetrates the body or not is what counts ¾ Information clutter caused by EMF z Electrosmog is especially well known as ELF and microwave radiation z Light pollution is known as advertising, sea of lights, … z Artificial lighting with too high a portion of blue light or glare is common today [email protected] 2009 15 TransitionTransition fromfrom RFRF RadiationRadiation toto PhotonicsPhotonics IfIf youyou believebelieve youyou couldcould simplysimply replacereplace RFRF frequenciesfrequencies withwith lightlight frequenciesfrequencies andand everythingeverything wouldwould bebe alright,alright, youyou areare mistaken!mistaken! TheThe infrastructureinfrastructure ofof lightlight communicationcommunication hashas toto bebe switchedswitched toto fiberfiber--opticoptic cablescables andand mustmust notnot bebe basedbased onon airwaveairwave transmissiontransmission becausebecause potentiallypotentially dangerousdangerous currentscurrents ofof substancessubstances oror informationinformation overloadoverload thethe environment.environment. [email protected] 2009 16 FiberFiber--opticoptic CableCable [email protected] 2009 17 19701970 FiberFiber--opticoptic BundleBundle 1881 William Wheeler: hollow glass pipes with silver coating for the lighting of a 1870 John Tyndall: Light home can be guided by total internal reflection in a jet of water (From 1970 optical fibers. 1976 first fiber-optic cable with 144 fibers for 50,000 phone calls in the USA) [email protected] 2009 18 TodayToday WorldwideWorldwide FiberFiber--opticoptic BackboneBackbone Fiber-optic cable (FOC) made from optical fibers for IR is standard today, fiber-optic bundles connect continents and the megacities of the world. IR attenuation developed from 1000 dB/km to 0.4 dB/km at optimal wavelengths. In a building (vehicle, etc.), polymer fibers and visible light are preferable, attenuation plays only a minor role because of the short distances USB- Adapter Ethernet -Optical fiber for 10 Gb/s at 1310 nm or 1550 nm. Maximum distance with 10µm - Monomode fibers are 10 km or 40 km long without an amplifier ! “The entire population of the Earth could be on the phone on a single fiber at the same time!” [email protected] 2009 19 HierarchyHierarchy ofof NetworksNetworks WideWide--areaarea networknetwork (WAN)(WAN) MetropolitanMetropolitan areaarea networknetwork (MAN)(MAN) LocalLocal areaarea networknetwork (LAN)(LAN) andand gigabitgigabit EthernetEthernet portport (GEP)(GEP) MobileMobile endend useruser inin communicationscommunications networknetwork cellcell(femtocell)(femtocell) Optical technologies have not yet reached the lower levels of this hierarchy in 2009. As a result, we suffer from chaotic wireless pollution. In truly advanced industrial countries, FOC is already