Researchers have developed a self-organizing laser system that can reconfigure according to conditions, mimicking the ability of living materials. The discovery is likely to help create smart photonic materials that will better mimic the properties of biological materials such as self-healing, collective behavior and adaptation.
While lasers are used to produce a different form of light by amplifying light, researchers at Imperial College London have developed self-assembling lasers consisting of microparticles scattered in a liquid with high gain or the ability to amplify light. .
In studypublished in Natureteam used outdoor laser To heat a Janus particle, which was coated on one side with a light-absorbing material. The aggregated microparticle clusters around the coating and the lasing thus formed can be switched on and off by reducing the intensity of the external laser.
“Lasers, which power most of our technologies, are designed to have precise and stable properties from crystalline materials. We asked ourselves whether we could combine structure and functionality, reconfigure ourselves, and produce organic materials. as can create a laser with the ability to collaborate,” Told The study’s co-lead author, Professor Ricardo Sapienza from the Department of Physics at Imperial.
Researchers demonstrate the adaptability of their laser system by showing that it can be moved space By heating various Janus particles. Janus particles can also help form cluster particles that have more properties than those achieved by combining the two clusters. These include capabilities such as resizing and increasing laser power.
“Our laser system can reconfigure and collaborate, thus enabling a first step toward simulating the ever-evolving relationship between the structure and functionality of living materials,” Sapienza said.
The team is now aiming to improve the lasers to give them more life-like properties. Co-lead author Dr Giorgio Volp expressed the hope that the laser could be used to develop the next generation of materials and devices for sensing applications, novel light sources and non-conventional computing.