Smallest Laser makes DNA Manipulation Possible

Laser research has become a growing area in the field of medicine, and the latest breakthrough will prove just why.  Scientists in the United States have made the world’s smallest semiconductor laser that can focus light in an area smaller then a single protein molecule.

Dr. Xiang Zhang, director of University of California Berkely’s Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center, and under whom the research took place believes that the new development opens a new pathway for nanolasers, making DNA manipulation, optics-based telecommunications with much faster speeds then technology currently in place, and could possibly create a new era in computer technologies by introducing optical computing.

Furthermore, the team managed to keep the light energy from dissipating, an attribute of  a true laser.”This work shatters traditional notions of laser limits, and makes a major advance toward applications in the biomedical, communications and computing fields,” stated Dr.Zhang.

So how does it work?  An electromagnetic wave cannot be focused past half of its current wavelength, however, scientists have found ways to compress light down to the nanometer by binding the ‘light’ to electrons that oscillate on the surface of metallic elements.  This phenomenon is known as surface plasmons.  The trapping of light in such small areas can create strong spontaneous emissions.  Researchers have been trying to develop new methods of containing and ‘controlling’ the light for sometime now.  The UC Berkeley team used semiconductor materials to engineer hybrid surface plasmons and were able to sustain the confined light long enough to stabilize oscillations until it formed what is defined as a laser.

That’s all great, but why is it so important for medicine? DNA AND GENE MANIPULATION CONTROL MANY MANY ASPECTS OF OUR LIVES and these small lasers could play a very vital role for manipulation in the future.  Optics could easily replace current technology that electronics today use by making them more power efficient and faster.