New breakthrough in laser allows matter to be transformed using light

Scientists have taken a huge step forward in being able to transform matter using only light.

This new breakthrough will open up the possibility of creating things like windows that can instantly transform into mirrors, or high-speed computers that use light instead of electricity, and many more exciting products. .

"These tools can allow you to change the electronic properties of matter with the flick of a light. But current technology is still limited by the fact that lasers generate too much heat inside the object. matter" - says physics professor at Caltech, David Hsieh.

The transformation that the above laser causes is reversible.

According to the Independent, scientists have long hoped to use lasers to shape and transform matter. But they always ran into a thermal barrier, which was created during laser use and damaged anything they tried to shine the laser at.

"The lasers needed for those tests are very powerful, so it's extremely difficult to prevent heat from being emitted and damaging the material," said Junyi Shan, lead author of the study.

"On the one hand, we want to shine a very high-intensity laser at the matter. On the other hand, we don't want the matter to absorb all that light."

To solve the problem, scientists have discovered a perfect method, in which lasers will be fine-tuned to be able to change the properties of matter without generating heat.

They also found that the transformation caused by the laser is reversible, meaning that when the laser is turned off, matter will return to its previous state.

Scientists have been working on such a system for years on a foundation laid out in the 1960s. But now that the test has been successful, they can be sure that it will be applicable. used in practice, not a fantasy anymore.

With this technology, we can completely create new types of matter - such as quantum magnets - that were previously considered impossible.

"In principle, this method can change the optical, magnetic, and many other properties of matter. Instead of making new substances to have different properties, we can take a material and give it a bunch of useful properties," says Shan.