‘This invention examines such things that shouldn’t be presented abroad’
As Realnoe Vremya found out, scientists of Kazan Federal University developed a way of time scale synchronisation. The development was already patented but not yet used in practice. The scientists complain the project cost is too high but nobody wants to invest money. Read more in Realnoe Vremya’s report.
The development allows sending information via meteor radio channel
Three professors of KFU created the time scale synchronisation method: Arkady Karpov, Irina Lapshina and Amir Sulimov. The development was first patented in 2017. The scientists still continue upgrading their invention.
The project documentation Realnoe Vremya has at its disposal reads that the invention relates to radio technology and can be used to create time scale synchronisation systems of distance separated objects. A reduction in the amount of measurements when synchronising time scales of distance separated time and frequency keepers through a meteor radio channel is the technical result of the invention. The result is achieved by using a data transmission data on accurate time of meteor train.
The following actions explain the synchronisation method. Time marks are communicated through a channel created by meteor train where the signal transmitting information about time mark to the reception point and back is dispersed. To put it simply, this development allows sending encrypted information when communicating secret keys at a distance of thousands of kilometres.
Nobody rushes to invest money
Realnoe Vremya talked with one of the authors of the development — Doctor of Sciences, Professor of the Department of Radio Physics at KFU Arkady Karpov. He explained that the invention is related to information protection. It can be used in cryptography (Editor’s note: a method of information encryption) when sending secret messages.
“This development requires huge investments, somebody shows interest in it but this doesn’t go beyond. We haven’t yet used the development in practice. The cost of such developments can reach tens or hundreds of millions of rubles,” Karpov complains.
The scientist also explained why meteor channels are used in the development. According to Arkady Karpov, the radio wave has to be reflected somewhere to be sent from the receptor to the transmitter. Precisely meteor channels allow doing this. Encrypted information at very remote distances can be sent through them. The KFU scientists’ invention can be used to send data with a radio wave that is reflected from meteorites reached the atmosphere of the Earth.
“Our laboratory has been developing such projects for 50 years. Such inventions appear as a result of long-term research. This development can be used where accurate time carrier synchronisation is needed. For instance, if the clock in Moscow has to work as accurately as in Kazan. We created a more precise and autonomous system than GLONASS,” Karpov told us.
According to him, they don’t almost have buyers of their technology and nobody rushes to invest money in it. At the same time, the scientist notes that they already have orders from local security agencies.
“Everybody needs a ready-to-use development on the table and decide to buy it or not but they don’t want to invest money in the development. We haven’t yet presented the development abroad, this invention examines such things that shouldn’t be presented abroad,” concluded Arkady Karpov.