High-Speed FO Network Connector Benefits Researchers

StarLight is a high-speed optical fiber network connection point that links international research computers to enhance collaboration within the academic and commercial communities. The Chicago-based facility at Northwestern University should support advanced computing technology, including real-time, multisite presentations; interactive data mining; remote control of large telescopes and microscopes; network monitoring and analysis; and optical switching and routing. Links of 10 Gb and higher are planned.

StarLight is an acronym for Science, Technology and Research Light-Illuminated Gigabit High-Performance Transit. The optical infrastructure is being developed and operated by the Electronic Visualization Laboratory at the University of Illinois in Chicago, the International Center of Advanced Internet Research at Northwestern and the Mathematics and Computer Science Div. at Argonne National Laboratory, in partnership with networks in Canada and the Netherlands.

Funding for the project is from the National Science Foundation and international research network partners. The Argonne lab provides network design and engineering.