A range of possibilities

A consortium led by Qinetiq has received £1m from the DTI to develop a laser that could lead to a wide range of commercial applications in a variety of fields, including healthcare and communications.

Mid-infrared lasers are much sought after because the wavelengths at which they operate - in the range of 3-5 microns - are longer than those of conventional lasers.

Qinetiq's Tim Ashley, the programme leader, said mid-infrared lasers would be particularly useful in detecting certain species of pollutants and environmental gases. As each chemical is detected using different laser wavelengths, a new range of infrared spectrum opens up another group of chemicals that can be detected.

BP

, which is part of the consortium, plans to test the the new lasers for remote gas sensing in the petro-chemical industry.

They could also be useful in the area of free-space optical (FSO) communications, in which data is transmitted using a beam of infrared or visible light instead of using fibre-optics. The advantage of FSO is that lasers can distribute high data rates in built-up, urban environments without the associated cost of copper or fibre connections, said Ashley.