Researchers have created a portable version of a tiny, powerful laser device with potential applications in fields ranging from medical imaging to detecting hidden explosives.
In a project involving the University of Waterloo and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), scientists developed a quantum cascade laser capable of operating at temperatures much higher than previously possible.
That means the technology can now be used to generate terahertz radiation outside of the laboratory since it requires only a compact thermoelectric cooler, not bulky cryogenic equipment.
"Many authorities in the field didn't believe these devices could work outside a laboratory environment or anywhere close to room temperature,” said Zbig Wasilewski, a physicist and professor of electrical and computer engineering at Waterloo and a principal investigator at Transformative Quantum Technologies. “Our combined expertise just changed this paradigm."
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