SilkRoad - technical definition

(SilkRoad Corporation) A San Diego-based company founded in 1996 by Dr. James Palmer and Kevin Doria that developed a laser transmission technology it claimed would dramatically increase optical fiber capacity at lower cost. Said to be the first commercial application of Einstein's theory of relativity, SilkRoad Refractive Synchronization Communication (SRSC) provided bi-directional transmission of multiple data streams using only one laser and one wavelength.

Named after the ancient Persian silk trade routes that brought the riches of the Orient to Europe, SRSC was based on the principle that multiple photons can occupy the same space at the same time. It modulated multiple data streams onto the fiber by tagging each stream as a unique "3D photonic spiral" with no theoretical limit to the number of streams that could be transmitted together. Although prototype systems were impressive, the company was disbanded in 2000.