This tiny laser could transform how we see and sense the world

A research team led by Associate Professor Johann Riemensberger from the Department of Electronic Systems at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) has developed a new kind of laser designed to overcome several challenges found in existing models.

"Our results can give us a new type of laser that is both fast, relatively cheap, powerful and easy to use," says Riemensberger.

The team's findings have been published in Nature Photonics. The project is a collaboration between NTNU, the Swiss École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), and Luxtelligence SA.

Self-driving cars and air quality detectors

Traditional precision lasers are often bulky, costly, and tricky to fine-tune.

"Our new laser solves several of these problems," says Riemensberger.

This improvement could make the technology especially useful in self-driving cars, which rely on a technique known as Lidar to map their surroundings. Lidar works by measuring how long it takes light from a laser to bounce back, or by detecting tiny changes in the light's wave phase. The new laser can perform such measurements with remarkable accuracy -- within about four centimeters.

The researchers also demonstrated that their laser can effectively detect hydrogen cyanide gas in the air, a substance commonly referred to as "hydrocyanic acid." Because this compound is extremely toxic even in small amounts, being able to identify it quickly is essential for safety and environmental monitoring.

Advanced materials, microsized light circuits

The researchers created the new laser with advanced materials and microscopic light circuits.

The laser emits a powerful and stable beam of light. Also, among the advantages is that users can easily adjust the frequency quickly and smoothly, without sudden jumps.

"You can also easily control it with just one control instead of many," Riemensberger points out.

The laser is built using chip technology that is already available. This makes it possible to mass-produce it cheaply.

"Our findings make it possible to create small, inexpensive and user-friendly measuring instruments and communication tools with high performance," Riemensberger said.

The work was a collaboration between EPFL (experiments), Luxtelligence SA (chip production) and NTNU (design and simulations). It started when Riemensberger was still a postdoctoral fellow at EPFL. The collaboration continues through an EIC Pathfinder OPEN scholarship called ELLIPTIC.