Nano laser: These spheres, which are 44 nanometers in diameter, are made of gold coated with dye and silica. Each is a laser.
Credit: Nature, 2009
New publications, experiments and breakthroughs in materials--and what they mean.
Tiny Lasers
The smallest laser ever could find uses in future computers.
Source: "Demonstration of a spaser-based nanolaser"
Mikhail A. Noginov et al.
Nature 460: 1110-1112
Results: A new laser devised by researchers at Norfolk State University, Purdue, and Cornell is the smallest ever made: it consists of a nanoparticle just 44 nanometers in diameter. It can emit both photons and plasmons, which are waves that travel along the surface of metals.
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