Attosecond physics—a keen sense for molecules

Munich-based laser physicists have developed an extremely powerful broadband infrared light source. This light source opens up a whole new range of opportunities in medicine, life science and material analysis.

With the help of Infrared light, researchers are able to search for the smallest particles. Infrared light sets molecules in vibration to analyze the molecular makeup of samples. In the hope that this analysis can become even more precise, the physicists from the Laboratory of Attosecond Physics at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich and the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics have developed an infrared light source that has an enormously broad spectrum of wavelengths.

With this system, which has an output power of 19 watts, researchers have achieved the broadest simultaneous infrared coverage from a solid state laser. Moreover, the infrared laser pulses correspond to a sub-cycle pulse in time domain. This new light source opens up countless opportunities for physicists to better understand the fundamental properties of solid and soft matter. The technique allows more precise and accurate conceptualization of research methods. The scientists are interested in assessing the molecular makeup of blood and breath.

More information:
Jinwei Zhang et al, Multi-mW, few-cycle mid-infrared continuum spanning from 500 to 2250 cm−1, Light: Science & Applications (2018). DOI: 10.1038/lsa.2017.180

Provided by Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich