A laser light beam passes between a loudspeaker-reflector array that creates a grating of air. The laser beam interacts with this grating and is deflected without contact. Credit: Science Communication Lab for DESYUsing a novel method, beams of laser light can be deflected using air alone.
“We are moving at a sound level of about 140 decibels, which corresponds to a jet engine a few meters away,” explains scientist Christoph Heyl from DESY and the Helmholtz Institute Jena, who is leading the research project. “Fortunately, we are in the ultrasound range, which our ears don’t pick up.” “In this power range, the material properties of mirrors, lenses, and prisms significantly limit their use, and such optical elements are easily damaged by strong laser beams in practice,” explains Heyl. “In addition, the quality of the laser beam suffers. In contrast, we’ve managed to deflect laser beams in a quality-preserving way without contact.”The principle of acoustic control of laser light in gases is not limited to the generation of optical gratings, the scientists emphasize.
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