Perhaps someone with more experience in math & physics can give some insight about this:

I’ve subscribed to a weekly newsletter from { Kurzweil AI } (Many of you might find it interesting; it covers futurism, technology, science, etc.) Recently, there were two consecutive articles about spiral shapes that I found curious:

{ Pasta-shaped radio waves beamed across Venice }

A group of Italian and Swedish researchers may have solved the problem of radio congestion by cleverly twisting radio waves into the shape of fusilli pasta, allowing a potentially infinite number of channels to be broadcast and received.

& { Scientists twist light to send data at more than 2 terabits per second }

A multinational team led by USC with researchers in the U.S., China, Pakistan, and Israel has developed a system of transmitting data using twisted beams of light at ultra-high speeds — up to 2.56 terabits per second.

Broadband cable supports up to about 30 megabits per second. The twisted-light system transmits about 85,000 times more data per second.

Is there something inherent to spiral shapes that allows them to hold more “information”? (I’m using the word info. in a general way, like if we think of the universe as a system of variously configured “bits” of info.) Is the relationship — in terms of information — between these technologies and natural constructs like DNA and galaxies more than an aesthetic correlation? If it’s true that spirals “hold more”, why is this?

P.S.
I’ve also asked this question at { Udacity }, if any of you are enrolled in Intro to Physics. I’ll re-post answers here if anyone answers there, and vice versa.

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ANSWERS:

{ memeengine }:

olena:

THE PHYSICS OF SPIRALS?

…

I’ve heard a little about that second item - use of “twisted” light in optic cables.  If you read my blog, you’ll know I’m no physicist, but I can offer my limited understanding…

Physically, I’m not sure if we’re talking about photons forming a spiral shape as they move.  It may have something to do with the polarity of the photons.  However, I think that what allows more information to be crammed in is something like different channels.

Even if it’s not completely accurate, I think that color is a good way for us amateurs to understand it.  You may know that white light contains all the colors of the rainbow (ie all frequencies of visible light).  Imagine if instead of sending one message in the white light, many messages could be encoded among the individual colors (frequencies) within the light.  So there could be a “red message”, a “green message”, etc.

The idea of twisting the light may have something to do with teasing apart the different frequencies, or channels so the individual messages can all be read.  Clearly, this has a multiplicative effect on the information that can be sent.

I think some of this research also looks at laying “meta-messages” on top of the normal light pulses.  Imagine if the rate at which the light pulses are sent were marginally slowed down or sped up.  This too can send information, and in theory, none of the original information from the pulses is lost (only perhaps marginally slowed).  Think of sending morse code by switching from intervals of slow pulses to intervals of quick pulses.

I know I’m not close to having a handle on this story in terms of the physics, but I think the above pseudo-examples capture the ideas of the more tightly packed information.  Hope this helps!

OS re: { memeengine }:

Thanks for answering! I wonder if DVDP’s image inspired that explanation? :D

Light can be twisted like a corkscrew around its axis of travel.

{ Optical Vortex }

It seems that just the actual wave, as it travels, is made to rotate as if it were going around the outside of a tube. I don’t know if that contradicts what you said —

“…I’m not sure if we’re talking about photons forming a spiral shape as they move…”

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Thyrm at { Udacity }:

Well, I can tell you that DNA coiled up can hold more information because its structure maximizes surface area while decreasing the volume that it occupies. If you were to uncoil DNA then it be about a meter long. If you unwrapped the two strands, then it’d be twice as long. Mind you, this is with one molecule of DNA that can easily fit inside the tiniest organelles of one of your cells. The geometry involved in that is beyond me. I am sure somebody else has a better answer.

Another amazing material that has a lot of surface area is activated carbon. Its surface area is absolutely insane, at about 500 sq. meters per gram.

Also, you might be interested in this: { http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menger_sponge }