Laser technology: New Trick for Infrared Laser Pulses

Gottfried Strasser, Benedikt Schwarz, Johannes Hillbrand and Nikola Opacak Gottfried Strasser, Benedikt Schwarz, Johannes Hillbrand and Nikola Opacak - Infrared light can be used to detect molecules - but it is hard to create strong, short laser pulses. A new solution was found at TU Wien. Ordinary solid-state lasers, as used in laser pointers, generate light in the visible range. For many applications, however, such as the detection of molecules, radiation in the mid-infrared range is needed. Such infrared lasers are much more difficult to manufacture, especially if the laser radiation is required in the form of extremely short, intense pulses. For a long time, scientists have been looking for simple methods to produce such infrared laser pulses - at the TU Wien this has now been achieved, in cooperation with Harvard University. The new technology does not require large experimental setups; it can be easily miniaturized and is therefore particularly interesting for practical applications.