Lasers get the diamond treatment
August 13th, 2013 by Noam Flint
Lasers are not commonly thought of as romantic or even luxurious, but the recent use of diamonds may have critics changing their tunes. According to R&D magazine, scientists from Scotland’s University of Strathclyde recently developed a high-performance Raman laser that uses diamonds to produce light beams with “more power and a wider range of colors” than current models.
Lasers get the diamond treatment
The diamond lasers are more than just nice to look at, as they also boast many benefits in both the technological and medical fields. For example, using these lasers could offer better treatment for diabetes-related eye conditions and skincare woes as well as boosting pollution monitoring capabilities and countless facets of engineering. Research for the laser-diamond connection is being funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
“We’ve shown that diamond Raman lasers have the potential to emerge as an important and distinctive technology,” said Martin Dawson, a professor at Strathclyde’s Institute of Photonics who oversaw the project. “The development of innovative laser technology is an incredibly competitive field and EPSRC support has enabled us to achieve genuinely world-leading advances that have enormous potential.”
While both diamond and engineering enthusiast might be anxious to see the diamond Raman lasers in action, Dawson added that these tools likely won’t be available for between five and 10 years. Even though the lasers use artificial diamonds, since they’re cheaper and easier to come by than natural white or color diamonds, they’re closely based off the real thing.
On the same note, with lasers using fabricated diamonds, it leaves plenty of natural gemstones for jewelry lovers to don as rings, earrings, necklaces and more.
