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X-rays for telecommunications?

Hi:

Has the use of x-rays for telecommuncations ever been considered? I imagine that x-ray photons would have more bandwidth than visible-spectrum photons. Other than bandwidth, are there any advantages to using x-rays instead of light. One major disadvantage, is the fact that x-rays could injure humans and possible some metal equipments by knocking electrons off the atoms -- one solution to this would be to use a lower rate of x-rays photons per second so that the amount of x-ray power* does not reach the danger level.

Thanks,

Radium

*Power in this case define the amount of photons per second, not the amount of eV per photon
Reply to
Radium
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last I heard there were no high-bandwidth x-ray detectors and making optic fibres for them is a hassle

x-ray telescopes were working by detecting the heat caused by the rays.

I guess modulation won't be a problem but detectors could be,

Bye. Jasen

Reply to
Jasen Betts

There's no convenient way to generate, modulate, steer, or focus X-rays. X-rays are blocked by a few inches to a few feet of air, and don't work with the fiber optics.

So I'd say that the disadvantages cuurnetly far outweigh any bandwidth considerations.

Reply to
Greg Neill

Hi,

Currently there is no method (except for a few lab experiments in the

100+ GHz range) to modulate a source or stream of X-rays faster several 10's of GHz, and those methods are applied to IR and visible LASERs, just fine. So it makes no sense to modulate X-rays, if high bandwidth comm. can be achieved using lower frequency photons.

Tom

Reply to
tlbs101

Well, if you'll read up on your highschool physics, you'll note that x-rays are considered ionizing radiation. They knock the electrons out of anything they touch, in the process giving up energy. A strong x-ray beam ought to make a good plasma when it hits air, the photons having energy corresponding to a neon sign transformer or so (depending on what part of the spectrum you grab).

As mentioned, bandwidth is no damn where near the frequency of even THz waves, let alone IR or visible light, which travels easily through current technology. Ok, it's coming up on the lower THz, but not the upper THz (although to be fair, upper THz is just lower IR anyway).

Tim

-- Deep Fryer: a very philosophical monk. Website:

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Reply to
Tim Williams

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