Technical Details
Chinese physicists have found a way to significantly enhance the impact of ultra-fast lasers without increasing their power. The new approach allows for the same effect as a much more powerful laser pulse, but without the risk of damaging the material being studied or the expensive equipment.
Background and Context
The research was conducted by a team of scientists led by Jian Wu from East China Normal University (ECNU). According to the researchers, they were able to enhance one of the key nonlinear optical effects by more than 20 times without increasing the average energy of the laser pulse.
Industry Impact
Nonlinear optical processes are the basis of many modern scientific facilities, from super-precise microscopy to research on electron motion on ultra-short time scales. However, they usually require very powerful lasers, which often overheat or even destroy samples and optical elements.
