Ultra-short pulses promise big benefits

New Mexico State University researchers now have on-campus access to a new type of laser system that many believe could lead to technological breakthroughs in fields ranging from medicine to antiterrorism.

With help from the governor’s office, the university has installed an ultra-shortpulse (USP) laser system developed by Raydiance Inc. that is small, easy to use and reliable.

Unlike conventional continuous-wave lasers, USP lasers emit “very short, compact bundles of energy,” said chemistry professor Gary Rayson, one of the principal investigators leading the USP laser project at NMSU.

Until now, typical USP lasers have been large, complex and temperamental set-ups, Rayson said. The Raydiance unit is about the size of a small microwave oven, it runs on a standard 110-volt power supply, and the software developed for operating the system is user-friendly.

The Raydiance system emits pulses of about two picoseconds – that is, about two trillionths of a second. Such brief pulses offer great precision for applications such as eye surgery or etching microchips – microscopic bits of material can be ablated, or vaporized, without causing heat damage to surrounding material as conventional lasers do.

NMSU researchers from chemistry, biology, electrical engineering, physics and geology are exploring the laser’s potential in other applications.