Researchers have discovered a new type of laser developed to give high amounts of energy in very short duration. The application of such laser can be utilized in a variety of biomedical applications such as surgery or engineering delicate materials.
"This laser has the property that as its pulse duration decreases to less than a trillionth of a second, its energy could go through the roof,” adds the Director of the University of Sydney Institute of Photonics and Optical Science, Professor Martijn de Sterke. "This makes them ideal candidates for the processing of materials that require short, powerful pulses. One application could be in corneal surgery, which relies on gently removing material from the eye. This requires strong, short light pulses that do not heat and damage the surface."
Findings were published in Nature Photonics and describes how simple laser technology, such as those used in telecommunications, helped in the discovery. These lasers produce something called ‘solitons’, learn more:
"The fact that soliton waves in light maintain their shape means they are excellent for a wide range of applications, including telecommunications and spectrometry," said lead author Dr Antoine Runge from the School of Physics."However, while lasers producing these solitons are simple to make, they do not pack much punch. A completely different -- and expensive -- physical system is required to produce the high-energy optical pulses used in manufacturing."
Source: Science Daily
