Australian Nanolaser Breakthrough Promises Medical Applications  

SYDNEY - Researchers in Australia have developed new microscopic lasers that have a range of potential medical, surgical, industrial and military uses.   

Researchers at the Australian National University (ANU) say "nanolasers" promise to be even more powerful than conventional technology. The technology uses laser light instead of electronics and is an approach called photonics.  Nanolasers, they say, need only a small amount of energy to start shining. Instead of using mirrors that reflect light, the team has created a device that traps energy and prevents it from escaping. That power is harnessed and builds into a “strong, well-shaped” beam. Researchers say this overcomes a well-known challenge of nanolasers — “energy leakage.”    The project is a collaboration with academics at Korea University, and is published in the journal Nature Communications.