Nothing But Love :: golf blogger

I, Laser

You know that you can come to this blog from time to time and learn about new discoveries in physics in plain language. And then you are often introduced to new ideas about the use of these latest discoveries.

I will not disappoint you today.

For many years, I have been advancing the notion that it would be cool to shoot jets of fire from one's eyes. And you know that would be ultra-cool, but you would never admit such a thing in public -- or in private, for that matter -- for fear of being committed to someplace like a lunatic asylum.

Lasers are all around us. They are used at grocery store check-out counters to scan the bar codes so that it is far easier to report to the FBI the types and amounts of foods you buy with your discount shopper's card. Stop laughing. Look, the FBI admits that it routinely gets your library records. Grocery shopping records are far more revealing about a person than library records -- do you think the FBI is going to tell you that? Or tell you that the FBI gets daily reports from your grocery store? No.

But that's not what this blog post is about. I'm talking about lasers, which are all around us. There are now lasers that are marketed for pet owners to drive dogs and cats crazy on cold winter nights. Pet stores have them. Pet owners have been found dead with lasers in their hands.

But that's not what this blog post is about.

I'm talking about the practical use of lasers, not the use of lasers as toys.

At Princeton University, scientists have discovered a previously unknown phenomenon of a quantum cascade laser. A quantum cascade laser has hundreds of molecule-thin layers of different semiconductor materials through which electrons cascade, emitting synchronized photons as they pass through the layers -- laser beams; but, they discovered that there were really two beams,. one very much more powerful being masked by another beam, allowing for a more powerful laser beam to be isolated.

Here's the thing. "Built at Princeton University's nanofabrication facility, the device is about one-tenth as thick as a human hair and 3 millimeters long." So, there we have it -- implant one of these in each eye and you can shoot laser beams out of your eyes -- and at your choice of power levels, one for play and one for -- well, use your imagination. Better than shooting fire jets from your eyes.

Way cool, I tell you.

Posted by Bill at January 12, 2009 10:11 PM