Scientists are really looking forward to breaking the 10 Gbps Internet connection record set last year. A group of researchers at the University of Oxford are currently experimenting with ways to increase the connection speeds in fiber optic cables. Oddly enough, they are looking to improve speeds by slowing down the light used in fiber optic communications. The boost could be achieved through replacing the existing system required to separate and route different signals to different destinations. The interesting part is that the scientists are using the same metamaterials that could also be used to create invisibility cloaks.

The Oxford researchers noticed that the matematerials can also be engineered to slow light down (instead of bending light as with invisibility cloaks), Placing these metamaterials in the fiber optics cable would allow different frequencies of light to be stored and delayed by different amounts, replicating the current electronic version but at much faster speeds.

The new metamaterial section could also perform the frequency spreading, condensing down what currently requires a large installation into something potentially as small as a fingernail. According to Slashgear, the team of researchers claims that the actual speed gains are considerable as light can move at several terahertz and, even when slowed sufficiently for routing to take place, would be far faster than the gigahertz speeds electronic systems can manage.