Optical fibre laser spots disease and greenhouse gases

Published in Optics Letters, the researchers from the University’s Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing and the School of Chemistry and Physics describe how they have been able to produce 25 times more light emission than other lasers operating at a similar wavelength, which could lead to the detection of very low concentrations of gases.

‘This laser has significantly more power and is much more efficient than other lasers operating in this frequency range,’ said Ori Henderson-Sapir, PhD researcher in a statement. ‘Using a novel approach, we’ve been able to overcome the significant technical hurdles that have prevented fibre lasers from producing sufficient power in the mid-infrared.’

The new laser operates in the mid-infrared frequency range, which is the same wavelength where many important hydrocarbon gases absorb light.

‘Probing this region of the electromagnetic spectrum, with the high power we’ve achieved, means we will be able to detect these gases with a high degree of sensitivity,’ said project leader Dr David Ottaway. ‘For instance, it should enable the possibility of analysing trace gases in exhaled breath in the doctors’ surgery.’