The most powerful sound laser ever made
The microsphere, levitated by the dual beam optical tweezer (green), is driven by the active optomechanical system (red) to generate nonlinear phonon lasers (coloured waves). Meanwhile, the injected electrical signal, represented by the white lightning mark, acts as a simple but powerful way to enhance the quality of the nonlinear phonon laser, shown as the coloured spectrum.
Credit by Guangzong Xiao, Tengfang Kuang, Yutong He, Xinlin Chen, Wei Xiong, Xiang Han, Zhongqi Tan, Hui Luo, Hui Jing
Scientists have made a significant leap in developing lasers that use sound waves instead of light. These “phonon lasers” hold promise for advancements in medical imaging, deep-sea exploration, and other areas.
The new technique involves a tiny electronic nudge that dramatically enhances the power and precision of the sound waves produced by the laser. This paves the way for future devices that could utilize sound for a broader range of applications.
Previously, phonon lasers made from small objects suffered from weak and imprecise sound waves, limiting their usefulness. The new method overcomes this challenge by essentially “locking” the sound waves into a more stable and powerful state.
This breakthrough paves the way for powerful and precise phonon lasers suitable for real-world applications, such as medical imaging and deep-sea exploration. Phonon lasers can create more sensitive and less harmful medical imaging techniques, while deep-sea vehicles could implement improved communication and navigation.
Phonon lasers could also have applications in material science, quantum computing, and other fields.
This research represents a significant step forward in phonon laser development, potentially unlocking a range of new technologies.
Journal: eLight
DOI: 10.1186/s43593-024-00064-8
Article Title: Giant enhancement of nonlinear harmonics of an optical-tweezer phonon laser
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