A microscopic laser, a nanolaser that is one thousand times thinner than a human hair, might be able to take close-ups of human tissue soon. It’s small enough to enter a microchip, according to a paper published in Nature Materials. This microscopic nanolaser is truly an impressive technical feat.
Nanolaser Light Barely Visible To The Naked Eye
The emitted energy is then absorbed by erbium ions, which then emit pulses of near-infrared and invisible light fired to excite ytterbium ions, explained a team of researchers led at Northwest University.
Normally, longer wavelengths are needed to image body tissue. Visible light can still penetrate through cells, explains Teri Odom the professor of chemistry and co-lead of the project. “Longer wavelengths of light are needed for bio-imaging because they can penetrate farther into tissues than visible wavelength photons.”
This is special because “shorter wavelengths of light are often desirable at those same deep areas. We have designed an optically clean system that can effectively deliver visible laser light at penetration depths accessible to longer wavelengths,” explains Odom.
Multi-Purpose Application
Because the laser is made mostly out of glass, it’s created with a material that will not degrade inside the human body. It may also be placed inside chips or used as a sensor in mobile phones. Nanolasers are typically less efficient than larger lasers and normally use shorter ultraviolet wavelengths with more energy in order to function.
“This is bad because the unconventional environments in which people want to use small lasers are highly susceptible to damage from UV light. The excess heat generated by inefficient operation,” said P James Schuck, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Columbia University, who also helped lead the project.
Since the nanolaser shines at longer wavelengths, it produces less heat, so it can be placed inside chips or smartphones. “Excitingly, our tiny lasers operate at powers that are orders of magnitude smaller than observed in any existing lasers.” P Schuck added.
As time goes on, it’s clear that the number of applications and uses for nanolasers will increase. Thirty years ago, it wasn’t even clear that lasers could be built at this size so this advance is nothing less than breathtaking.
