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Waveguide as it appears within the femtosecond laser amplifier system
The waveguide as it appears within the femtosecond laser amplifier system. The waveguide is a hollow glass tube with internal humps that coax light waves into traveling along at the same speed and help the waves reinforce each other.
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A National Science Foundation-supported research team from the University of Colorado's Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics (JILA) have created an extreme-ultraviolet, laser-like beam capable of producing tightly focused light in a region of the electromagnetic spectrum not previously accessible to scientists. The process combines concepts from electromagnetic radiation research and fiber optics.
EUV wavelengths -- between one and 100 times shorter than visible light waves -- allow researchers to see tiny features and carve miniature patterns with applications in such fields as microscopy, lithography and nanotechnology.
The achievement is based on a new structure called a "waveguide," a hollow glass tube with internal humps that coax light waves into traveling along at the same speed and help the waves reinforce each other.
These findings were reported in the Jan. 2, 2003, issue of the journal Nature. The research was principally supported by NSF, with additional funds from the Department of Energy. For further information about the research, see NSF Press Release 03-01. (Year of image: 2002)
Credit: Courtesy University of Colorado; National Science Foundation
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