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Femtosecond Laser Amplifier System
Caption:
A state-of-the-art femtosecond laser amplifier system. Although the pulse energies from this laser are modest (on the order of millijoules), and the size is relatively small, the laser system crams all of the energy into a tiny, 20 femtosecond pulse. The result is a peak power close to a terawatt (a terawatt is roughly the continuous electrical generating capacity of the United States). The amplifier system allows the researchers to generate coherent EUV (extreme-ultraviolet wavelengths) beams by focusing the laser into a hollow fiber called a waveguide. The green light in the picture comes from the pump lasers that are used to amplify the femtosecond pulses to the terawatt level. [See related images: Research Associates with Laser System, Waveguide, Close-Up of Waveguide, Femtosecond Laser Amplifier System.]
More about this Image
A National Science Foundation (NSF) supported research team from the University of Colorado’s Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics (JILA), have created an extreme-ultraviolet, laser-like beam capable of producing tightly-focused light in a region of the electromagnetic spectrum not previously accessible to scientists. The process combines concepts from electromagnetic radiation research and fiber optics.
The extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) wavelengths, which are between 1 and 100 times shorter than visible light waves, will allow researchers to “see” tiny features and carve miniature patterns with applications in such fields as microscopy, lithography, and nanotechnology.
The achievement is based on a new structure called a “waveguide,” a hollow glass tube with internal humps that coax light waves into traveling along at the same speed and help the waves reinforce each other.
These findings were reported in the January 2 issue of the journal Nature. The research was principally supported by NSF, with additional funds from the Department of Energy. For further information about the research, see NSF Press Release 03-01.
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| Credit: |
Image courtesy of the University of Colorado and NSF. |
| Year of Image: |
2002 |
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Categories:
PHYSICS / General
Formats Available:
Restrictions:
No additional restrictions--beyond NSF's general restrictions--have been placed on this image. For a list of general restrictions that apply to this and all images in the NSF Image Library, see the section "Conditions".
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