Researchers created a new low-energy nanoscale laser, known as nanolasers, that can transmit in all directions. Introducing irregularities into the lasing materials – a structure that laser makers usually work hard to avoid – is the key to this omnidirectional light emission. The team anticipates “a wide range of potential applications.”
The researchers looked into the role of imperfections and disorders in nanolasers. They observed a dramatic change by introducing a slight degree of disorder: the laser no longer emits in one specific direction but all directions.
The development of nanoscale lasers is a very active field of research today. Each photon in a typical laser is cloned many times in a medium located inside a cavity, typically a pair of mirrors between which the photon moves back and forth, producing other photons with the same characteristics.
The properties of the organic molecules primarily determine the omnidirectional emission from this non-perfect nanolaser. The team said that demonstrating omnidirectional emission in lasing materials defines new boundaries for developing nanoscale lasers at ambient temperatures.
The researchers believe new laser designs can be used in various future applications. The omnidirectional laser light is much brighter and more defined than an LED. As a result, it is an excellent candidate for microscopy lighting, which currently employs LEDs.
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