The spaser: a laser analog for nanotechnology. Just as a laser can fire tightly focused light at a point, a new proposed device, the "spaser" will shoot surface plasmons (localized energy fluctuations on the surface of materials) on a nanoscale. The spaser beams could be used for probing nanostructures where a laser would not be suitable. Laser light is created in an optical cavity consisting of mirrors whereas the spaser emission comes from a quantum dot, acting as an effectively pointlike source of energy, driven by electrical current. The process by which the spaser works is analogous to the laser [^] they both use the "aser" parts of their names, Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation.
Journal article: http://link.aps.org/abstract/PRL/v90/e027402
[David Harris: Science news]
10:41:09 PM 
|
