Fibre Optic Communications Research Centre (FORCE)

Fibre optic systems are since many years essential for global communication and carry a major part of the Internet traffic of today. At Chalmers University of Technology, we have conducted research in optical communication for decades and we continue to contribute to the scientific progress in this area. These efforts have now been formalized into a research centre by bringing together all research activities at Chalmers with strong connection to optical communication under one umbrella; the Fibre Optic Communications Research Centre (FORCE).

The core of the centre is the Photonics Laboratory at the Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience (MC2) and the Communication Systems Group at the Department of Signals and Systems (S2). The centre is hosted by MC2. The collaboration bridges traditional discipline boundaries and includes the whole chain from components to system, from analysis to experiments.

One example of a central topic of our research is communication systems with high spectral efficiency. This is a way to squeeze even more information into an optical fibre and meet the rapidly increasing demand for high-speed communication links. Another topic is cost and energy efficient solutions, which is important since optical communication is now also being used for shorter distances and in consumer electronics.