In current systems, a laser transmits light signals through the cables and information is coded in the modulation of light intensity. The system, a semiconductor spin laser, is based on a modulation of light polarisation instead.
The study demonstrates that spin lasers have the capacity of working at least five times as fast as traditional systems, while consuming only a fraction of the energy. Unlike other spin-based semiconductor systems, the technology potentially works at room temperature and doesn't require any external magnetic fields.