Anti-Laser: A device that can deter or direct light and other electromagnetic waves

0
10
laser.jpg
laser.jpg

A team of researchers from the Universities of Yale and Rennes in France have developed an innovative system that can direct light and other electromagnetic waves for signal processing without unwanted reflections.

This advance in technology, called “anti-laser” could have important applications in telecommunication networks, photonics and other areas.

A new instrument to counter lasers

The basis for this anti-laser system, also known as a “perfect coherent absorber,” was created by the same team of researchers a decade ago. Instead of emitting a beam of light like a laser, the anti-laser absorbs the incoming light precisely.

The nature of lasers is based on the feedback of light that occurs when its beams bounce back and forth between two mirrors, passing through an amplifying material called a “gain medium.” The light creates a feedback that increases the intensity. However, the anti-laser uses a “loss medium” that absorbs the light rather than amplifying it.

Researchers A. Douglas Stone from Yale and Philipp del Hougne from the University of Rennes, built on the anti-laser concept and developed a device based on “reflectionless scattering modes”. This device, unlike a traditional laser, is responsible for redirecting the waves instead of absorbing them, which results in a signal without reflections.

Signal reflections have been a persistent problem for signal routers, which are a key element of nanophotonic networks, used in sensors for professional use, and modern radio frequency networks, present in communications systems. In addition to increasing power consumption, reflections can also affect signal quality and speed. To counteract this effect, the featured device eliminates signal reflections, marking an important advance for the future of cell phone networks and other technologies.

SEE ALSO  This is how you can restart all Amazon Echo devices with Alexa

The development of this innovative system of direction of light and electromagnetic waves can have a significant impact in several areas. Beyond the application cases described above, a considerable aspect of this advance is the possibility of reducing energy consumption in some installations and optimizing processes that depend on the use of light rays or sensitive waves.