新的氮氬露天雷射研究可能會改變雷射界

來自加州大學洛杉磯分校 (UCLA) 和馬克斯玻恩研究所的一組研究人員發表了一項研究，展示了使用氮氣和氬氣來產生雷射。

A team of researchers from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and the Max Born Institute have published a study demonstrating the use of Nitrogen and Argon to create laser light. The study builds on decades of research into the field of creating open-air lasers, which could one day help to improve sensors, robotics, and much more.

來自加州大學洛杉磯分校 (UCLA) 和馬克斯玻恩研究所的一組研究人員發表了一項研究，展示了使用氮氣和氬氣來產生雷射。這項研究建立在數十年對露天雷射領域的研究基礎上，有一天可能有助於改進感測器、機器人等。

Here's what you need to know.

這是您需要了解的內容。

Laser Tech

雷射技術

For decades, the primary way lasers operated was by shooting a beam of light through an optical cavity at a pair of mirrors. These mirrors are constructed and angled in a manner that enables the light to be bounced back and forth between the devices. This bouncing action amplifies the intensity of that light, creating the focused beam you see.

幾十年來，雷射器工作的主要方式是透過光學腔向一對鏡子發射光束。這些鏡子的構造和角度使得光線能夠在設備之間來回反射。這種彈跳動作增強了光的強度，形成您看到的聚焦光束。

Open-Air Lasers

露天雷射器

Since the beginning of laser research, there have been engineers seeking to create laser light without the use of amplification cavities and mirrors. Within this research, there is a subsection of engineers who seek to create open-air lasers. These devices utilize interactions between particles excited by intense light to form laser light. Until recently, this scientific concept was not possible. However, it appears that the tides have changed following the publication of this recent study.

自從雷射研究開始以來，一直有工程師尋求在不使用放大腔和鏡子的情況下產生雷射。在這項研究中，有一小部分工程師致力於製造露天雷射。這些設備利用強光激發的粒子之間的相互作用來形成雷射。直到最近，這個科學概念還是不可能的。然而，隨著這項最新研究的發表，潮流似乎發生了變化。

Nitrogen Argon Open-Air Laser Study

氮氬露天雷射研究

The study delves into using Nitrogen and Argon mixtures to induce cavity-free lasing in atmospheric air. The study, published in Physical Review Letters, introduces the concept and a working model that accomplished photon-mediated energy transference between N2 and Ar, resulting in a superfluorescence response.

該研究深入研究使用氮氣和氬氣混合物在大氣中誘導無空腔雷射。該研究發表在《物理評論快報》上，介紹了實現 N2 和 Ar 之間光子介導的能量轉移的概念和工作模型，從而產生超螢光響應。

The team's research looks at many different concepts, as ambient air has different components that could make a superfluorescent response. To verify that Argon and Nitrogen were the active components in the response, the team needed to monitor the coupling of the two in an oxygen-stable environment. The tests revealed some interesting results, including bidirectional lasing effects, which opened the door for a variety of new scientific experiments to begin.

團隊的研究著眼於許多不同的概念，因為環境空氣有不同的成分可以產生超螢光反應。為了驗證氬氣和氮氣是反應中的活性成分，研究團隊需要在氧氣穩定的環境中監測兩者的耦合。這些測試揭示了一些有趣的結果，包括雙向雷射效應，這為各種新的科學實驗的開始打開了大門。

Open-Air Lasers – Testing

露天雷射 – 測試

The testing started with engineers using a 261 nm pump laser to excite the gases. The goal was to gain a deeper understanding of why the mixture of argon undergoes a reduction in ionization rate. This test led to the engineers focusing on the 3-photon resonant absorption of 261 nm photons in Ar. Here they discovered a direct correlation with the bidirectional lasing effect.

測試開始時，工程師使用 261 nm 泵浦雷射來激發氣體。目標是更深入地了解為什麼氬氣混合物的電離率會降低。這項測試使工程師將注意力集中在氬氣中 261 nm 光子的 3 光子共振吸收上。在這裡，他們發現了與雙向雷射效應的直接相關性。

This bidirectional cascading lasing effect was tested using a variety of parameters to ensure the details of the conversion were recorded. The test revealed that mixing nitrogen with argon created the desired response, whereas other mixtures didn’t produce any bidirectional laser light pulse. Zooming in revealed that 3-photon absorption of 261 nm photons by Ar atoms specifically creates emission of cascaded superfluorescence. This revelation was a major discovery as it was previously unknown that a photon-mediated mechanism that transfers energy from N2 to Ar was a possibility.

使用各種參數測試了這種雙向級聯雷射效應，以確保記錄轉換的細節。測試表明，將氮氣與氬氣混合會產生所需的響應，而其他混合物不會產生任何雙向雷射脈衝。放大顯示，Ar 原子對 261 nm 光子的 3 光子吸收特異性地產生了級聯超螢光的發射。這項發現是一項重大發現，因為先前不知道光子介導的機制是否有可能將能量從 N2 轉移到 Ar。

The next steps began with frequency testing. Researchers shifted through different frequencies until they noticed that nitrogen molecules exhibit nonlinear-3-photon absorption in an electronically excited state when exposed for 261 nm to Argon resonating at a slightly different frequency. This data was then gathered to be used to create new formulas to model future experiments.

接下來的步驟從頻率測試開始。研究人員改變了不同的頻率，直到他們注意到當氮分子暴露在 261 nm 的氬氣中，並以稍微不同的頻率共振時，氮分子在電子激發態下表現出非線性 3 光子吸收。然後收集這些數據，用於創建新的公式來模擬未來的實驗。

Results

結果

The study shows some promising results that could upend the laser community. For one, the team successfully produced bidirectional cascaded lasting effects in atmospheric air. Specifically, the engineers were able to create two colored, bidirectional lasings via an open-air cavity-free setup.

研究顯示了一些有希望的結果，可能會顛覆雷射界。其一，團隊成功地在大氣中產生了雙向級聯持久效應。具體來說，工程師能夠透過露天無腔裝置創建兩種彩色的雙向雷射。

The research also sheds light on some unexpected discoveries. For one, the team noticed that the amount of oxygen used during the mixture affected the interaction between the argon and nitrogen molecules. Their research shows that a 1% O2 mixture is ideal for cavity-free, bidirectional, and laser-like emission.

這項研究也揭示了一些意想不到的發現。首先，研究團隊注意到混合過程中使用的氧氣量會影響氬氣和氮氣分子之間的相互作用。他們的研究表明，1% 的氧氣混合物是無腔、雙向和類雷射發射的理想選擇。

Open-Air Laser Benefits

露天雷射的好處

This technology brings several benefits to the market. For one, it enables the creation of lasers with less mechanical parts. Open-air lasers will require less technical and manufacturing to produce. These lower costs will result in more use-case applications.

這項技術為市場帶來了多項好處。其一，它可以用更少的機械部件製造雷射。露天雷射的生產需要較少的技術和製造。這些較低的成本將帶來更多的用例應用程式。

Stability

穩定

The use of mirrors in today's lasers is one of their greatest weaknesses. These tiny devices need to be calibrated perfectly and aligned to create the beam of light you expect. Any small deviation from the unit's original calibration can result in the device becoming useless. As the use of lasers continues to expand into large commercial and military applications, there is a strong demand for lasers with less moving components. Nitrogen Argon lasers are a smart solution.

當今雷射器中使用鏡子是其最大的弱點之一。這些微型設備需要完美校準和對齊，以產生您期望的光束。與設備原始校準的任何微小偏差都可能導致設備變得無用。隨著雷射器的使用不斷擴展到大型商業和軍事應用，對移動部件較少的雷射有強烈的需求。氮氬雷射是一種智慧解決方案。

Light Weight

輕的

Using lightweight Argon and Nitrogen will help reduce the overall weight of lasers moving forward. Lasers Are already in use on many microscopic devices. However, they are limited in the scale of operation based on the manufacturer's capabilities to shrink down the core components. An Argon-based system would require much less space and weigh less. As such, they could help power next-gen space travel, nanotech, and much more.

使用輕質氬氣和氮氣將有助於減輕未來雷射的整體重量。雷射已經在許多微型設備上使用。然而，由於製造商縮小核心零件的能力，它們的營運規模受到限制。基於氬的系統將需要更少的空間並且重量更輕。因此，它們可以幫助推動下一代太空旅行、奈米技術等。

Potential use Applications

潛在用途 應用

There are many applications for this new style of laser light. From monitoring and

這種新型雷射有許多應用。從監測和