ETH Zurich Has Developed World s Smallest Microlaser
The centerpiece of the new microlaser is the electric resonator, consisting of two semi-circular capacitors that are connected via an inductor (here, a scanning electron microscope image). The color intensity represents the strength of the electrical field; the color itself, the respective polarity. (Photo: ETH Zurich)
Mr. Christoph Walther, a PhD student in the Quantum Optoelectronics Group at ETH Zurich, and his colleagues have developed the world s smallest electrically pumped laser. The laser is 30 micrometers long, eight micrometers high, and has a wavelength of 200 micrometers. This makes the laser much smaller than the wavelength of the light it emits which the team denotes is a scientific first.
Instead of the usual optic resonators, we use an electrical resonant circuit made up of an inductor and two capacitors , explains Walther. The light is effectively captured in it and induced into self-sustaining electromagnetic oscillations on the spot using an optical amplifier.
