Laser systems, as physical systems, comprise an optical gain medium, an energy pump source, and an optical resonator configured to produce coherent, monochromatic, and highly directional electromagnetic radiation via stimulated emission. The gain medium (solid-state, gas, liquid, or semiconductor) is excited by optical, electrical, or chemical pumping, creating a population inversion between quantized energy levels. The resonator, typically a pair of mirrors or integrated waveguide structures, provides optical feedback and mode selection, defining spatial and spectral properties. System performance is characterized by thresholds, efficiency, beam quality (M²), temporal regime (CW or pulsed), and stability against thermal, mechanical, and nonlinear optical effects.
Researchers have developed a 3D micro-printed sensor for highly sensitive on-chip biosensing. The sensor, which is based on a polymer whispering-gallery-mode microlaser, opens new opportunities for developing high-performance, ...
Bio & Medicine
May 19, 2025
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Laser ion acceleration uses intense laser flashes to heat electrons of a solid to enormous temperatures and propel these charged particles to extreme speeds. These have recently gained traction for applications in selectively ...
General Physics
May 19, 2025
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In recent research published in Optics & Laser Technology and Infrared Physics & Technology, a research team led by Prof. Cheng Tingqing at the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has introduced ...
Optics & Photonics
May 15, 2025
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Scientists have developed a dual-laser Brillouin optical correlation-domain reflectometry (BOCDR) system that uses two frequency-modulated lasers. By scanning the relative modulation phase between the pump and reference lasers, ...
Optics & Photonics
May 13, 2025
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Researchers at the University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology recently connected their campuses with an experimental quantum communications network using two optical fibers. In a new paper published in ...
Optics & Photonics
May 6, 2025
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Communications with Mars explorers face unique challenges, including 4–24 minute signal delays and limited bandwidth that restricts data transmission. While NASA's Deep Space Network currently manages these communications, ...
Space Exploration
Apr 30, 2025
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In a development that could reshape the future of microelectronics, optics, and biomedicine, researchers from Jinan University, in collaboration with the Institute of Chemistry at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, have unveiled ...
Nanophysics
Apr 28, 2025
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Opaque materials can transmit light when excited by a high-intensity laser beam. This process, known as optical bleaching, induces a nonlinear effect that temporarily alters the properties of a material. Remarkably, when ...
Condensed Matter
Apr 16, 2025
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43
Physicists at Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have created a compact laser that emits extremely bright, short pulses of light in a useful but difficult-to-achieve wavelength range, ...
Optics & Photonics
Apr 16, 2025
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Rapidly increasing data traffic is placing ever greater demands on the capacity of communication systems. In an article titled "Ultra-broadband optical amplification using nonlinear integrated waveguides" published in Nature, ...
Optics & Photonics
Apr 9, 2025
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