Using air to deflect lasers
Using a novel method, beams of laser light can be deflected using air alone. An invisible grating made only of air is not only immune to damage from the laser light, but it also preserves the original quality of the beam, reports an interdisciplinary.....»»
Focusing ultra-intense lasers to a single wavelength
Ultra-intense ultrashort lasers are powerful tools used in various fields like physics, national security, industry, and health care. They help researchers delve into strong-field laser physics, laser-driven radiation sources, particle acceleration,.....»»
Micro-Lisa: Making a mark with novel nano-scale laser writing
High-power lasers are often used to modify polymer surfaces to make high-tech biomedical products, electronics and data storage components......»»
Using mode-locked lasers to realize and study non-Hermitian topological physics
Mode-locked lasers are advanced lasers that produce very short pulses of light, with durations ranging from femtoseconds to picoseconds. These lasers are widely used to study ultrafast and nonlinear optical phenomena, but they have also proved useful.....»»
Ultrafast plasmonics for all-optical switching and pulsed lasers
Plasmonics is playing a crucial role in advancing nanophotonics, as plasmonic structures exhibit a wide range of physical characteristics that are benefited by localized and intensified light-matter interactions. These properties are exploited in num.....»»
Faster charging with diamonds
Diamond is known for its outstanding thermal conductivity. This makes the material ideal for cooling electronic components with high power densities, such as those used in processors, semiconductor lasers or electric vehicles......»»
Ground-based lasers could accelerate spacecraft to other stars
The future of space exploration includes some rather ambitious plans to send missions farther from Earth than ever before. Beyond the current proposals for building infrastructure in cis-lunar space and sending regular crewed missions to the moon and.....»»
Submonolayer biolasers: Lower gain, higher sensitivity
Designing sensitive and single-use biosensors for early diagnosis remains a major challenge. Scientists in China have invented submonolayer lasers on optical fibers as ultrasensitive and disposable biosensors......»»
Beam me up: Using lasers to detect moth migrations
The year is 1941. The British military is installing new-age radar systems to detect German aircraft bound for Great Britain, intent on destruction. Fast forward to 2024. Researchers at North Carolina State University are installing advanced laser-ba.....»»
Space lasers have unearthed plethora of climate data over the years
A team of scientists has sifted through two decades' worth of climate data collected by NASA laser pulses, and say it both paints a sobering picture and underscores the need for such missions to continue......»»
LIGO goes to space: ESA to proceed with LISA gravitational wave detector
A gravitational wave detector in space will be sensitive to unexplored phenomena. Enlarge / The LISA project will consist of three spacecraft in a triangular configuration, exchanging lasers. (credit: EADS Astrium) On Th.....»»
Scientists develop high-power optic fiber laser to power nano satellites
The use of lasers in space is a reality. Even though radio waves have been the backbone of space communications for ages, the demand to convey more data, in a faster way, made these lighter, more flexible, and more secure infrared rays (invisible to.....»»
Ground-fired lasers to be tested in fight against space junk
A team of researchers in Japan is working on a system that uses laser beams fired from the ground to knock out pieces of hazardous space junk......»»
Research team uses water as a nonlinear medium for ultra-broadband white laser
Scientists are making significant strides in the development of ultrabroadband white laser sources, covering a wide spectrum from ultraviolet to far infrared. These lasers find applications in diverse fields such as large-scale imaging, femto-chemist.....»»
Ultrafast laser pulses could lessen data storage energy needs
A discovery from an experiment with magnets and lasers could be a boon to energy-efficient data storage......»»
Breaking the 10-petawatt limit with a new laser amplification
Ultra-intense ultrashort lasers have a wide-ranging scope of applications, encompassing basic physics, national security, industrial service, and health care. In basic physics, such lasers have become a powerful tool for researching strong-field lase.....»»
A cat video highlighted a big year for lasers in space
NASA has invested more than $700 million in testing laser communications in space. Enlarge / Taters, the orange tabby cat of a Jet Propulsion Laboratory employee, stars in a video beamed from deep space by NASA's Psyche spacecraf.....»»
Ultrafast lasers map electrons "going ballistic" in graphene with implications for next-gen electronic devices
Research appearing in ACS Nano reveals the ballistic movement of electrons in graphene in real-time......»»
Q&A: Understanding coordination mechanisms in decentralized systems
Did you know that when a group of robots or bacteria moves in a space where there are several free objects, they deflect these objects so they can pass? An international research team managed to show that the trail left by this movement contributes t.....»»
An anomalous relativistic emission arising from the intense interaction of lasers with plasma mirrors
Interactions between intense laser pulses and plasma mirrors have been the focus of several recent physics studies due to the interesting effects they produce. Experiments have revealed that these interactions can generate a non-linear physical proce.....»»
Gaining more control over the fabrication of surface micro/nano structures using ultrafast lasers
Surface functionalization via micro/nano structuring is not only a thriving research area inspired by bionics but also of great importance for various practical applications. The key to achieving various surface functions is the fabrication of surfac.....»»