Scientists create world’s most powerful ‘sound laser’

Laser’s ability to move through liquids without being distorted could prove useful in everything from biomedicine to underwater imaging

An illustration of a phonon laser (University of Rochester)

Researchers in China have built a new device that can create a laser beam out of sound particles.

The sound laser, developed by a team at Hunan Normal University in Changsha, is 10 times more powerful than any previous device that uses similar technology.

Unlike conventional lasers, which output light particles called photons in a narrow beam, the new laser emits sound particles called phonons.

As the acoustic analogue of optical lasers, the sound laser is also able to transmit information at high speeds.

The phonon laser’s ability to move through liquids without being distorted to the same extent as light-based lasers means it could prove more effective than current technologies in everything from biomedicine to underwater monitoring.

The sound laser works by levitating a tiny bead in an optical tweezer made of two beams of light. This bead, which is about the same size as a bacterium, can then be made to vibrate within a reflective cavity, which amplifies the phonons released by the vibrations.

During their experiments, the scientists were able to operate the phonon laser for over an hour, however the technology remains a long way off being ready for use in practical applications.

The findings were detailed in a study, ‘Giant enhancement of higher-order harmonics of an optical-tweezer phonon laser’.

The researchers describe the phonon laser as a “unique tool” for a diverse range of applications.

The study’s abstract states that the results “can be readily used” for ultrasound sending, atmospheric monitoring, and even bio-medical diagnosis.