Scientists build first antilaser

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Scientists build first antilaser

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The laser, a 50-year-old invention now used in everything from CDs to laser pointers, has met its match in the antilaser, the first device capable of trapping and canceling out laser beams.

18 February,2011 07:36 am

While such a device would seem most fitting in a science fiction movie, its real-world application will likely be in next-generation, optical computers, which will be powered by light in addition to electrons, US researchers said on Thursday.It is a device which basically works like running a laser backwards, A. Douglas Stone of Yale University said in an interview. While a laser takes in electrical energy and emits light in a very narrow frequency range, Stone said, his antilaser takes in laser light and transforms it into heat energy. But it could be easily converted into electrical energy, he said.Stones device uses silicon as an absorbent loss-medium that traps light waves, which bounce around until they are converted into heat. And while the technology seems cool, his antilaser would never be used as a potential laser shield.Stone said the device could be used as a sort of optical switch that can be turned on and off at will. Ultimately, he said, the technology could find its way in radiology.