The latest invention of American researchers is the laser that claims to be the smallest in
the world. They managed to develop the laser by squeezing light into a
space that is even tinier than a protein molecule. Their latest
invention could be a significant breakthrough in the field of optical technology, making one step closer to nanolasers, which can be used to investigate and manipulate DNA. In addition, the laser can lead to the creation of super-fast computers and improved telecommunications.
The team of researchers was led by Professor Xiang Zhang. He
mentioned that the plasmon laser constricts light into a gap that is
only 5nm wide. An important step was the ability to detain light in a
small space for a specific period of time required for light to
stabilize into a "coherent" laser state, having all of its waves
synchronized.
It is worth mentioning that plasmons are in fact wave-like movements
of excited electrons on the surfaces of different metals. By connecting
light to these oscillations, scientists managed to compress it further
than usually, reports The Telegraph. More information on lasers and
latest inventions you can find here at www.IfoNIAC.com, please check the
links at the bottom of the story.
Professor Zhang, from the University of California at Berkeley said: "Plasmon
lasers represent an exciting class of coherent light sources capable of
extremely small confinement. This work can bridge the worlds of
electronics and optics at truly molecular length scales." Their
latest invention was described in the online version of the journal
Nature. The scientist who co-authored the research, Dr Thomas Zentgraf,
from the University's Nanoscale Science and Engineering Centre, stated: "The
advantages of optics over electronics are multifold. For example,
devices will be more power efficient at the same time they offer
increased speed or bandwidth
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