CSIRImages projected on an LCD screen inside the laser form the shape of the beamCSIR
Digitization has reached lasers. A team from South Africa has developed a new device for formatting and controlling the laser beam, effectively dispensing with lenses and optical devices. The invention, described in the August 2, 2013 issue of the journal Nature Communications, was developed by researchers at the National Laser Center of the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the University of KwaZulu-Natal, both in South Africa. They utilized a liquid crystal display (LCD), similar to those in televisions, to project and control the light beam. By selecting images inside the LCD, the laser output can take on different shapes and properties. “We showed that by sending an appropriate picture to the LCD, any desired laser beam could be created inside the laser device. This is a significant advancement form the traditional approach to laser beam control, which requires costly optics and realignment of the laser device for every beam change,” said Professor Andrew Forbes, leader of the group that developed the new system, in a press release from the CSIR. The researchers believe the new digital laser technology for controlling the shapes of a laser beam could lead to many applications in fields like optical communications and medicine, at a more favorable cost than those for the current technology.
Republish