Learned to control the color of the laser using an ionic liquid

Researchers from Brookhaven National Laboratory in the USA have come up with a simple and effective way

To do this, it is enough to pass a beam of light through an ionic liquid.The technology will expand the possibilities for the application of laser radiation.

In a study published in the journal PhysicalReview Applied, the researchers described a simple and versatile method. It is based on the interaction of laser and vibrational energy in the chemical bonds of ionic liquids. They consist only of positively and negatively charged ions, but at room temperature they flow like viscous liquids.

Researchers have shown that simple transmissionlaser beam through a tube filled with a certain ionic liquid can reduce the energy of the laser and change its color, while maintaining other important properties of the beam.

By adding a specific ion with a specific frequencyoscillation, we can create a fluid that shifts the laser beam to that oscillation frequency. And if we need a different color, then we can replace the original substance with an ion with a different vibration frequency.

James Wishart, Brookhaven National Laboratory chemist and study co-author

To demonstrate the work of the method, scientists receivedorange laser from a green beam. Light pulses with a wavelength of 532 nm, when passing through a tube filled with 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide, were converted into a laser beam with a wavelength of 603 nm. The authors note that an orange laser beam is necessary, for example, in medicine for the treatment of skin and eye diseases.

Transformation of laser radiation during the experiment. Video: Brookhaven National Laboratory

Lasers are intense monochromerays of light. Depending on their color and other properties, they can scan barcodes, cut metal, destroy tumors, and even trigger nuclear fusion. To achieve the desired radiation, physicists use many different methods of converting one color to another. But most of them are complex and have limited capabilities.

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Cover image: Brookhaven National Laboratory