DailyTech - New Laser Makes Planet Finding Tools 100 Times More Sensitive

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Science New Laser Makes Planet Finding Tools 100 Times More Sensitive
Shane McGlaun (Blog) - May 8, 2008 11:20 AM

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20 comment(s) - last by JimmyC.. on May 22 at 11:27 PM

Artificially Colored Data from an NIST Gap-toothed Comb Filter (Source: M. Kirchner & S. Diddams/NIST)

The dime-size laser has record setting combination of high speed, short laser pulses and average power

Scientists have devised a laser that has a record setting combination of high speed and short pulses coupled with a high average power. The laser is being eyed for use in astronomy to aid scientists in finding Earthlike planets by acting as an ultra-precise frequency comb.

Scientists from the University of Konstanz in Germany and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) say that the new laser could increase the sensitivity of astronomical tools searching for Earthlike planets as much as 100 times.

Despite the record setting nature of the laser, it is actually a small, dime-size laser and is capable of producing pulses to the tune of 10 billion per second with each pulse lasting only 40 femtoseconds (quadrillionths of a second). The average power of each pulse is 650 milliwatts. The researchers say that the new laser produces pulses 10 times more often than the standard NIST comb filter and the new laser is 100 to 1000 times more powerful than typical high-speed lasers.

The application with the most international implications for the new laser is in the search for Earthlike planets orbiting distant stars. To find planets orbiting distant stars scientists look for variations in the color of the starlight over time. These variations in starlight color are cause by the wobbling of the star as a planet orbits it.

Current comb filters can detect at best a wobble of 1 meter per second; using the new laser scientists say they would be able to detect the wobble caused by much smaller Earthlike planets. The laser produces well-defined comb teeth for the filter and is simple in construction as well.

Astronomy isn't the only potential application for the new laser. Scientists also say that the laser could be used as a remote sensor for gases for medical or atmospheric studies. The laser could also be used for on-the-fly monitoring and precision control of high-speed optical communications.

The dime-size laser isn’t the only record breaking laser announced in 2008 so far. The University of Texas announced the world’s most powerful laser in early April 2008 with a petawatt of power.

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Coolness... how does it work?

By MrBlastman on 5/8/2008 11:27:14 AM , Rating: 2

I take it they do not shoot the laser at a distant planet as it would be far to great of a distance to reasonably measure anything in an acceptable period of time. Instead, it seems they shoot this laser at perhaps - a projected image or light they received from distant stars/solar systems etc?

It is a comb of sort but I'd love to know exactly how they are using this laser to comb through already existing light?

RE: Coolness... how does it work?

By KristopherKubicki

(blog) on 5/8/2008 11:38:59 AM , Rating: 3

To my understand they're using the laser like a comb filter. Light isn't a particle or a wave, but it acts like waves. When photons intersect, they act the same way as two colliding waves in the ocean. Physics 101 -- if you have two waves of identical magnitude and opposite directions, you're left with absolutely nothing when they collide.

There's a lot of neat stuff that can be done by exploiting that principle. From what I can gather, they're using this laser to "cancel" out some of the noise.

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RE: Coolness... how does it work?

By TennesseeTony on 5/8/2008 4:36:14 PM , Rating: 2

Ah, that makes sense. I hope the 'telescope' is purely electronic and not optical, I'm not looking in the eyepiece when there's a super powered laser bouncing it's beam around inside.

By the way, about the power output: .650 Watts per burst, times 10 BILLION bursts a second....this thing can output 6,500,000,000 Watts of energy each second???? I've got a few ideas about the 'other uses' department. 6.5 billion W/ps.

Okay, someone please reply and tell me how off my math is, or tell me they made a mistake in the article if it's right.

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RE: Coolness... how does it work?

By soydios on 5/8/2008 7:53:10 PM , Rating: 2

yeah, I got the same math. 650 megawatts is, umm, impressive in a dime-sized form factor. since a 125W TDP in that size computer chip requires a largeish heatsink, five million times that seems impossible without significant cooling.

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RE: Coolness... how does it work?

By soydios on 5/8/2008 7:53:33 PM , Rating: 2

d'oh, 6500 Megawatts

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RE: Coolness... how does it work?

By erikejw on 5/8/2008 9:24:01 PM , Rating: 1

Not really.
Watt is a measurement per timeunit.
Since the device doesn't produce a continuous stream of pulses
the energy it uses per second is much less than what you calculated.

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RE: Coolness... how does it work?

By erikejw on 5/8/2008 9:28:19 PM , Rating: 2

I think I messed that up.

Watt is Joule/second so if the device is on for a second continous which it isn't really since it's pulsing the device will put out what the article said 650mW so no cooling required.

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RE: Coolness... how does it work?

By DanDanDan on 5/8/2008 9:25:04 PM , Rating: 2

Hiya, you have misunderstood the numbers -

Power = energy/time

It already tells us "The average power of each pulse is 650 milliwatts."

To get its power you don't multiply power by pulse rate.

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RE: Coolness... how does it work?

By erikejw on 5/8/2008 9:20:53 PM , Rating: 3

" Light isn't a particle or a wave, but it acts like waves. "

It act as much as particles as waves. It depends on how you try to measure it.

Light is both a particle and wave.

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RE: Coolness... how does it work?

By JimmyC on 5/22/2008 11:27:51 PM , Rating: 2

Duh, I learned that from Yahoo Serious.

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RE: Coolness... how does it work?

By fictisiousname on 5/8/2008 11:46:54 AM , Rating: 3

http://jlt.osa.org/abstract.cfm?id=89762

http://www.nml.org.tw/apmptcl/download/APMP_GA_21/...

Heh, these are over my head.....

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ALIENS!!!

By straycat74 on 5/8/2008 12:09:22 PM , Rating: 3

And what happens when our Alien masters get tired of us shooting fricken laser beams at them!?!!??!!

RE: ALIENS!!!

By KristopherKubicki

(blog) on 5/8/2008 12:11:22 PM , Rating: 2

Aim better.

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RE: ALIENS!!!

By MrBlastman on 5/8/2008 12:18:46 PM , Rating: 2

You won't notice because you'll already be destroyed and not even know it. They have already mastered universal travel and time-dialation via wormholes. We have one at the center of the Earth's core, you just don't know it.

Make one wrong move and you're toast. Since they are the future they already know our state as it is the past and before you know it, they'll slip us some antimatter through the backdoor creating a world of pain underneath that comfy chair you are sitting on now.

So be careful what you ask for... ;)

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RE: ALIENS!!!

By arazok on 5/8/2008 12:26:17 PM , Rating: 5

Any being obsessed with sticking things up butts clearly has flaws we can exploit. Our future is secure.

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RE: ALIENS!!!

By MrBlastman on 5/8/2008 12:44:37 PM , Rating: 2

He who controls the back door controls the entrance to the universe?

A gavel rang down hard as the Alien Judge ruled out in disgust - he who brough forth the key of poo shall be no greater than moo!

"Moo? Moo who?" The defendant exclaimed with an air of astonishment at the rediculous claims spewing forth from the pulpit.

"The key of poo is you that is who!" blasted from the figure at the pulpit, echoing around the vast chamber sending a cold shiver down the nervous-canals of the alien spectators.

"How can that be?" proclaimed the man on trial, "I am who not you for because of that I say you all must go boo hoo!" "I shall have the last laugh of you!" and with that one quip, the man reached into his mouth, grabbed his toungue with both hands and gave it a firm, but quick yank.

1, 2, 3 seconds passed and out came a torrent of brown, green and red followed by a disparate twinkling poof. The man was gone, the penalty box was empty. Where did he go we do not know as the key of who and you too is no more.

All remained silent until a thunk was heard from his still-standing table. A box wobbled, rumbled and came to a stop. Out from the box popped a single white, perfectly neat tissue.

Tears shed forth from the optical cavities of those remaining, cries of sorrow echoed from the pulpit as the staunch alien judge lowered his head in sorrow. The key was gone and the Aliens had nothing but their own sorrow to mop up.

So yes, he who controls the poo did in fact have the power to make the aliens of you go boo hoo!

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