By mimicking the characteristics of living systems, self-organizing lasers promise to lead to new materials for sensing, computing, light sources and displays. According to a study published today in the journal Nature Physics, researchers at Imperial College London and University College London have demonstrated the first spontaneous self-organizing laser device that can be reconfigured when conditions change. This innovation will help develop smart photonic materials that better mimic biological properties such as responsiveness, adaptation, self-healing, and collective behavior.
While many man-made materials have advanced properties, there is still a long way to go to combine the versatility of biomaterials for a variety of situations. For example, the body's bones and muscles continually reorganize their structure and composition to better maintain changing weight and exercise levels.
Co-author of the research paper, Professor Ricardo Sapienza, from Imperial's Department of Physics, said the new laser was largely designed from crystalline materials, with precise and static properties that allow it to fuse structure and function, reorganize itself And collaborate like biomaterials, which is the first step in modeling the evolving relationship between the typical structure and function of biomaterials.
A laser is a device that amplifies light to produce a special form of light. The self-organizing laser in the team's experiment is composed of particles dispersed in a liquid that has the ability to amplify light. Once enough particles come together, they can use external energy to generate laser light.
The researchers used an external laser to heat a Janus particle (a particle coated with a light-absorbing material on one side) around which the particles gathered. The laser light produced by these particle clusters can be turned on and off by changing the intensity of the external laser, which in turn controls the size and density of the laser clusters.
The team also showed how to transfer the laser clusters in mid-air by heating different Janus particles, demonstrating the adaptability of the system. Janus particles can also cooperate, such as changing their shape and boosting their laser power.
Co-author Dr Giorgio Volpe, from the UCL Department of Chemistry, said: "Laser applications are now commonplace in medicine, telecommunications and industrial production. This 'lifelike' laser could help in the development of lasers for Robust, autonomous and durable next-generation materials and devices for sensing applications, unconventional computing, novel light sources and displays."
Next, the team will investigate how to improve the autonomous behavior of the laser, making it more alive and agile. The first application of this technology could be next-generation e-inks for smart displays.
