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Air Force-Funded Research Is Shattering Traditional Notions Of Laser Limits
Space War ^ | 01/09/2010 | Maria Callier/Air Force Office of Scientific Research

Posted on 02/09/2010 12:26:12 AM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld

Air Force Office of Scientific Research and National Science Foundation-funded professor, Dr. Xiang Zhang has demonstrated at the University of California, Berkeley the world's smallest semiconductor laser, which may have applications to the Air Force in communications, computing and bio-hazard detection. The semiconductor, called a plasmon, can focus light the size of a single protein in a space that is smaller than half its wavelength while maintaining laser-like qualities that allow it to not dissipate over time.

"Proposed almost seven years ago, researchers had been unable to demonstrate a working plasmonic laser until our experiment," said Zhang. "It is an important discovery because it has the potential to eliminate optical loss and make plasmonic-based technologies viable for a broad spectrum of applications."

"Perhaps the biggest gap in our knowledge and the reason it took so long to demonstrate this technology was our challenge of devising a realistic plasmonic laser design," he said. "We developed a strategy to get around this problem by combining semi-conductor nanowires one-thousand times thinner than a human hair with a metal surface separated by an insulating gap of only five nanometers, the size of a single protein molecule."

Because of their ultra small size, Zhang admits that an even more challenging aspect of his research has been in demonstrating how the plasmonic lasers bridge electronics, optics and photonics on the nanometer scale

(Excerpt) Read more at spacewar.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Technical
KEYWORDS: laser; lasers; light; molecule; science; semiconductor; technology; usaf

1 posted on 02/09/2010 12:26:12 AM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
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To: sonofstrangelove

You know, I have one simple request. And that is to have sharks with frickin’ laser beams attached to their heads! Now evidently my cycloptic colleague informs me that that cannot be done. Ah, would you remind me what I pay you people for, honestly? Throw me a bone here! What do we have?


2 posted on 02/09/2010 12:50:23 AM PST by hulagirl (Mother Theresa was right)
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To: sonofstrangelove
...can focus light the size of a single protein ...

Apparently journalistic incompetence afflicts even the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

3 posted on 02/09/2010 1:26:40 AM PST by DuncanWaring (The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
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To: DuncanWaring

I dont think so. I think that they can do that with a laser.


4 posted on 02/09/2010 1:27:52 AM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld ("I have learned to use the word "impossible" with the greatest caution."-Dr.Wernher Von Braun)
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To: sonofstrangelove

...and Zing Zang has appropriately communicated his findings to his masters in the homeland, who see many wonderful military applications for use against the American imperialists....


5 posted on 02/09/2010 1:45:31 AM PST by Check6 (United States of Moronia: A nation of morons ruled by a gang of communist thugs.)
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To: DuncanWaring
separated by an insulating gap of only five nanometers, the size of a single protein molecule
6 posted on 02/09/2010 2:29:11 AM PST by Right Wing Assault (The Obama magic is fading.)
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To: sonofstrangelove
Dr. Xiang Zhang

The United States Air Force has a scientist working on laser technology and his name is Xiang Zhang?

The Chinese military will not have to fight our military.

THEY ALREADY HAVE TAKEN OUR MILITARY FROM THE INSIDE.

We are not just funding Chinese military research. We are bringing the bastards over here and giving them the run of the place with our blessings and full funding.

I just read a story on this web site yesterday in which a Chinese scientist was sentenced to many years in prison by a U.S. federal judge for stealing military secrets here and passing them to his government in China.

The United States does not deserve to continue as a nation if our military is this stupid about our military secrets.

7 posted on 02/09/2010 3:14:21 AM PST by NoControllingLegalAuthority (As Wichita falls so falls Wichita Falls)
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To: sonofstrangelove

For some odd reason I have these images of a micro miniature Racquel Welch in my body with a phaser killing evil terrorist cells.

This is outstanding good news for the nanotech medical field of inside the body corrective surgery, programmed nanaobots injected by a doctor could have cutting tools to surgically repair blood clots, dissolve material in blocked arteries, well its just amazing to look at this from just the medical POV.


8 posted on 02/09/2010 3:24:39 AM PST by Eye of Unk (The Seven-headed Beast of Revelation 12, 13, and 17)
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To: sonofstrangelove

Another thought about this is using devices like this as an offensive weapon such as a “bomb” that infects the enemies equipment from within, it attacks electronics disabling them, destroys critical components like firing systems.

Little miniature robots with frickin lasers....


9 posted on 02/09/2010 3:27:41 AM PST by Eye of Unk (The Seven-headed Beast of Revelation 12, 13, and 17)
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To: Eye of Unk
If recent history is a guide, it will turn out to be little Chinese men with frickin lasers.

And they are gonna kill us all due to the incompetence of our gov't, who think it is perfectly acceptable to employ foreigners from an enemy country on a project with deep national security implications.

What retards.

10 posted on 02/09/2010 6:11:25 AM PST by I Buried My Guns
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To: Las Vegas Dave; Ernest_at_the_Beach

Now they gotta find some really, really small sharks, or maybe micro-sized mutated sea bass. Thanks sonofstrangelove.


11 posted on 02/09/2010 7:08:01 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Happy New Year! Freedom is Priceless.)
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To: SunkenCiv

small as a protein?


12 posted on 02/09/2010 7:29:40 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach ( Support Geert Wilders)
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To: sonofstrangelove

13 posted on 02/09/2010 7:30:40 PM PST by dfwgator
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

The research was funded by some guy named Atkins.


14 posted on 02/09/2010 8:02:04 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Happy New Year! Freedom is Priceless.)
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