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Lasers in our lives 50 years of impact in our lives 50 years of impact

The information in this brochure is just a sample of the significant social and economic impact that lasers have had on our lives over the past 50 years. Because of the collaborative nature of research many of the experiments, projects, R&D programmes, and applications that have led to the ubiquitous nature of lasers, have been joint efforts between research councils, academia and industry. The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), through its Central Facility based at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL), continues to play a leading role in the development of lasers and operation of high- power laser facilities. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is also a key funder of laser research and technology in the UK. This brochure was co-funded by STFC and EPSRC.

Project Manager: Connor Curtis, STFC

Design and layout: Ampersand Design

Production: STFC Media Services 1 Introduction , STFC’s Central Laser Facility (CLF) STFC’s sited at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory has been at the forefront of innovative laser technology and research for more than 30 years. A brief history back to a theory by laser traces The conception of the proposed Albert Einstein in 1917. theoretical understanding of the interactions between It was Einstein’s it was not until However, laser. and matter that paved the way for the first was built by Theodore 1960 that the first working optical laser and has evolved considerably, Maiman. Over the past 50 years, the laser Due to their extreme versatility, many new varieties have been developed. a multitude of applications. lasers have become invaluable tools across Where STFC fits into the picture STFC fits into Where using and The UK excels in research high-power lasers. creating This brochure demonstrates the far reaching impacts that lasers have on our lives, and highlights some of the key contributions made by STFC in the field of laser research during the past 30 years.

mplification by adiation timulated mission of ight Lasers are concentrated Lasers are beams of electromagnetic in (light) travelling radiation a particular direction. Such light can be concentrated in time and space to create truly extreme conditions, or be used to provide exquisite imaging and analysis capability across a wide range of applications. By harnessing these properties in a device that reflects light back and forth through a special material, it is possible to generate an amplified light source, or laser. The defining properties of laser light are that the light waves are coherent (all travelling in harmony with one another) and that they are usually of one , or colour. E R L A S What are lasers? are What Introduction Why do we care about lasers?

Today, lasers impact almost every aspect 2 of life…

…from to Measurement Defence and Medicine manufacturing, from and analysis national security and health communications to Measurement and analysis The world is on high alert Only one year after its measurement, and from have been transformed by for potential terrorist invention, the laser was research and analysis to the laser. Surveyors use attacks, and security is of being applied in a entertainment. This is lasers to mark out roads high priority. Detecting medical procedure. This ironic for a device that and construction sites, the explosives and happened in December military use them to biochemical hazards are 1961 at the Columbia- was initially described as determine the position of just a few examples of Presbyterian Hospital, a ‘solution looking for a targets and even NASA how lasers can strengthen where a ruby laser was problem’. In fact, during has utilised lasers to our national security. used to destroy an eye measure the distance of tumour. Today, lasers are its first 50 years, the ➜ SEE PAGE 6 the Moon from the Earth. commonly employed in laser has been nothing most medical disciplines, Laser analysis of chemical including dermatology, short of revolutionary! and physical structures dentistry, cardiology, We can only wonder has allowed factories to neurosurgery and eye manage quality control what the next 50 years surgery, because of their efficiently. Laser will bring. ability to deliver high- techniques have been precision treatments, adopted by aluminium- whilst remaining manufacturing plants to minimally invasive. monitor accurately the Laser-based therapies proportion of constituent fact fact and diagnostic methods metals in alloys. They also represent an area of huge play a crucial role in the Estimates suggest The total number future potential. inspection of that the world market of laser patents ➜ for lasers in 2007 alone pharmaceuticals. issued since its SEE PAGE 8 was worth more than ➜ SEE PAGE 4 invention is well £4Bn! over 50,000 3 Why do we care about lasers? 50 years of impact 50 years Lasers in our lives in our Lasers SEE PAGE 16 SEE PAGE Manufacturing across Lasers are employed the manufacturing industry as tools capable of delivering intense cutting or welding power with high precision. Their ability to manipulate and transform materials makes them ideal for the automobile, computer and clothing industries – to In fact, it name but a few. is difficult to find a modern consumer product that has not seen a laser during its manufacturing. ➜ SEE PAGE 14 SEE PAGE Environment Environment and climate of Climate change is one our most immediate challenges. Deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels are the likely causes for the increased concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Earth’s Lasers can be used to analyse the concentrations of these gases and even to monitor their effects on ecosystems. ➜ SEE PAGE 12 SEE PAGE ➜ Communications Long-distance telecommunications and broadband internet both depend on the transmission of light pulses along optical fibres. These light pulses are both generated and relayed via lasers. This revolutionary method of communication is replacing less efficient copper wire- based networks and is the foundation of the internet and information age. SEE PAGE 10 SEE PAGE ➜ Lasers can generate extreme pressures and , and so can be used to ignite nuclear fusion – the same process that powers our Sun. Research into laser-driven fusion is currently underway and promises to address our increasing demands for energy. In addition, scientists are exploiting lasers in the development of solar cells. Energy Measurement and analysis

4 Photo: ESA Photo: ESA (NASA)

Measuring the distance Do lasers hold the key to unlocking to the Moon the secrets of the Universe?

Thanks to special mirrors left behind by The very fabric of space and time continually undergoes subtle Apollo astronauts, the distance from the ‘ripples’ that carry messages of astronomical events. These Earth to the Moon is known with a include the mergers of massive black holes, neutron stars and precision of millimetres! even the aftermath of the Big Bang. The ‘ripples’, or gravitational waves, were predicted almost a century Laser light fired from the Earth is reflected ago by Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity. Detecting and studying back by these mirrors (lunar retro-reflectors) them will provide an entirely new way to observe and understand and by accurately recording the time the the Universe. light takes to travel, the distance to the Moon can be determined. The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) experiment aims to do just that. An ESA/NASA joint venture, LISA will consist of three separate, identical spacecraft flying in an equilateral triangle arrangement, with ‘laser arms’ about 5 million kilometres long. Tiny changes in the relative length of these arms caused by waves will be measured by precisely monitoring the separation between each

spacecraft. From studying the Photo: ESA (C.Vijoux) shape and timing of these waves, the LISA research team will be able to infer information about the astronomical systems that emitted them, such as their nature and evolution. 5 Measurement and analysis 50 years of impact 50 years Lasers in our lives in our Lasers discovery of lost ancient art. sites such as Stonehenge (Wiltshire, UK), leading to the sites such as Stonehenge (Wiltshire, In addition, lasers have Archaeologists have also applied laser-scanning techniques to Archaeologists have also applied laser-scanning been employed to scan and survey ancient sites, allowing archaeologists to generate 3-D images and visualise their excavations during its various stages. Lasers are also being increasingly used in the examination and conservation of paintings and artwork. Lasers in archaeometry and art to diagnostic techniques have been used Non-invasive laser and date and analyse ancient artefacts, rocks identify, dinosaur fossils. As well as being able to generate As well as being able lasers high temperatures, extremely can also be used to cool down close to temperatures (-273°C). to When is combined with another technique called magneto- optical trapping, it is possible to produce samples of trapped, slow- moving, neutral atoms that are close to absolute zero. Following research carried out by US physicists, scientists at STFC are now working on a device that incorporates a magneto-optical trap into a system capable of measuring gravity to high By ‘dropping’ these atoms accuracy. down a vertical tube, precise gravitational measurements can be made. Such devices have potential applications in geophysics and in oil exploration. Using lasers to Using lasers to gravity measure Defence and national security

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Detecting chemicals Seeing through before it’s too late opaque bottles

A system capable of remotely Spatially Offset Raman identifying, quantifying and (SORS), is a new non- locating the release of volatile invasive spectroscopy technique chemicals would be invaluable for developed at STFC’s ultrafast laser security applications. facility. It can determine the composition of materials hidden Gas-phase chemicals, like the behind or within other layers, such volatiles often emitted by explosives, as a liquid concealed in an opaque possess unique spectral fingerprints bottle or container. that allow remote detection using optical techniques. A real-time stand- The technique has been patented and off detection system that exploits developed via a -out company these fingerprints could provide called Cobalt Light Systems, which improved security at airports and seeks to exploit the technique’s wide- other civil infrastructures, and even ranging potential applications. These on the battlefield. include a new capability for detecting hidden explosives and illicit drugs, as STFC scientists and partners are well as assessing the quality and currently investigating novel laser- authenticity of , and based technologies for stand-off potentially diagnosing bone diseases detection. Using continuous and cancer non-invasively. frequency-tuneable laser sources that are extremely compact and optimised for chemical detection, the team is developing novel instruments with unprecedented spatial resolution, chemical selectivity and compactness. 7 Defence and national security 50 years of impact 50 years Lasers in our lives in our Lasers An experiment at STFC’s ISIS facility An experiment at STFC’s a exploits a laser to assist in providing unique beam of very muons. low- energy These fundamental particles act as tiny the magnetic properties magnets, probing of target materials at the scale of a (one billionth of a metre). nanometre This research could help, for example, in characterising semiconductor devices for the next generation of computers, which will make use of an emerging technology called spintronics. Current electronic devices such as transistors work by exploiting transferring electrons. However, spin has the potential to lead the electron’s to faster and more powerful information processing and storage. Spintronics is already used in the read-heads of high- capacity hard disks. In 2007, a key scientific discovery fundamental to spintronics – giant magnetoresistance – was recognised through the award of the Nobel Prize for Physics. Towards a new generation a new generation Towards of computers Medicine and health

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How laser imaging can help diagnose cancer Shrinking accelerators

Imagine a world in which doctors can prescribe medication By smashing together beams of high-energy that is specifically tailored to a person’s DNA fingerprint. It is elementary particles in accelerators and guaranteed to be effective against an individual’s cancer, observing the debris, researchers can better with minimal side-effects. understand the structure of matter and the forces of nature at a fundamental level. In Scientists working at STFC’s Lasers for Science Facility are at the addition, beams of energetic particles are forefront of research aimed at tackling diseases such as lung and useful tools for biological, nanotechnology and breast cancer. A technique that colour-codes ‘misbehaving’ chemistry research. with a fluorescent dye and then uses lasers to illuminate these molecules, causing them to glow, provides an insight into STFC scientists are involved in investigating and their behaviour during the onset of disease. Researchers can then developing a new generation of radiation sources use sophisticated computer methods to build up a detailed 3-D that aim to accelerate particles using lasers. This picture that reveals the underlying bio-molecular interactions technology has the potential to reduce the size of leading to disease. conventional accelerators to fit on a laboratory bench-top, resulting in significantly reduced costs. The information obtained from this novel use of lasers will be a crucial step towards a future of personalised medicine. These potentially portable machines would also offer a host of medical, industrial and security applications, including cancer therapy, the rapid detection of hidden explosives and improved quality control in the fabrication of semiconductors. 9 Medicine and health 50 years of impact 50 years Lasers in our lives in our Lasers Tattoo removal Tattoo consist of large Tattoos clumps of pigment scattered of the lower layer through skin. Because of their size the body is unable to these clumps, so remove instead, seals them off with barrier. fibrous a protective Laser therapy works by breaking down this fibrous allowing the pigment barrier, to disperse into smaller pieces, natural which the body’s defences can slowly remove.

Cholesterol testing Cholesterol at STFC’s Using technology developed the Daresbury Laboratory in Cheshire, has used lasers to company L3 Technology develop and patent a highly accurate and precise test that is more cholesterol cost-effective than other similar testing available. kits currently Current ‘over-the-counter’ cholesterol test-kits types do not distinguish between the different from of cholesterol considered ‘good’ or ‘bad’ Existing laboratory a health point of view. tests take a minimum of three days to generate adequate results. test works by tagging The L3 Technology is compounds with a fluorescent marker that light subsequently illuminated with an intense source. The intensity of quantifies the type and amount of cholesterol that is present in the sample. ultimate goal is to produce a The company’s range of tests that will be conveniently both saving surgery, available at your GP’s time and money.

More than 100,000 laser procedures to correct vision are performed annually in the UK – a figure that is on the increase! fact By scanning laser light the back and forth across high-resolution, retina, images can cross-sectional be taken, which can be combined into a 3-D of the retina. picture This novel technique – optical coherence tomography (OCT) – can help ophthalmologists to detect the subtle changes that occur in retinal disease. Detecting disease eye Energy

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Benefits of 2 E = mc laser fusion Did you know?

Einstein’s famous equation, Plentiful fuel To give some idea E = mc2, tells us that energy and Laser-driven fusion could supply the world with of fusion’s potential: matter are interchangeable, an abundant, effectively limitless fuel supply. if successfully such that even a small amount harnessed, just one of matter can potentially be Energy security cubic kilometre of converted into a large amount The required fuel is readily available in seawater would of energy. seawater. contain enough Nuclear fusion is Nature’s way of deuterium fuel to releasing some of this energy Clean energy provide energy that and is the process that drives the Laser-driven fusion produces no greenhouse gas would exceed that Sun and other stars. Here on emissions and thus has a low environmental from all the world’s Earth, atomic nuclei such as impact. Also, unlike nuclear power stations, oil reserves. those of hydrogen isotopes, there is no long-lived radioactivity, thereby deuterium and tritium, can be reducing health risks. fused into heavier nuclei such as helium, releasing a huge amount Creation of jobs of energy in the process. Fusion The progression of laser-driven fusion, from has the potential to address our proof-of-principle to commercial exploitation, increasing energy needs, will require a combination of specialised providing a safe and effectively facilities and considerable scientific expertise. inexhaustible energy supply, in The construction of HiPER, the proposed an environmentally sustainable European High Power laser Energy Research manner. facility to demonstrate the feasibility of laser- driven fusion, would generate huge economic benefits both domestically and beyond. These include job creation and the capitalisation of emerging spin-off technologies. 11 Energy 50 years of impact 50 years Lasers in our lives in our Lasers Harvesting sunshine on Living organisms depend complex and oftenextremely efficient to biochemical processes energy. and transport harness, store By understanding the underlying mechanisms of the light-capturing and energy transport processes involved in photosynthesis, for aim to example, researchers develop similar systems that could in the next generation be employed of solar cells. Laser studies of how light triggers the movement of electrons through photosensitive biological structures are contributing to the scientific understanding of solar-energy conversion at the molecular level. STFC scientists, in collaboration with partners, have performed experiments to measure the speed of electron transfer through these molecular structures. They involve firing a short laser pulse at a sample to stimulate the electron-transfer process, and then using a tuneable laser to monitor how the system evolves in real time. High Power laser Energy High Power laser facility (HiPER) Research fusion The next step towards HiPER is a European collaborative project that of represents the next step in the development bridge laser fusion as an energy source. It aims to the gap between fusion research and harnessing fusion energy on an industrial scale. Operating rather like a car engine, the fuel will be injected, laser then compressed and ignited via controlled pulses, creating the extreme conditions necessary HiPER will integrate for fusion. Unlike NIF, highrepetition rate technology and will be capable five of repeating the ignition process an estimated times per second. HiPER aims to demonstrate the full laser-fusion cycle, to provide the basis on which a new generation of electricity power stations could be built. NIF, situated at the NIF, Livermore Lawrence National Laboratory in California in the US, hosts the world’s largest laser system. One of its missions is to investigate the feasibility of nuclear fusion. NIF aims to produce more energy from a fusion reaction than is used to initiate the reaction. This would be a landmark demonstration of the principles of laser fusion. If successful, NIF ignition will be the launch-pad for the next generation of laser-fusion facilities such as HiPER. National Ignition Facility (NIF) Communications

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Fibre Smart materials

Lasers have revolutionised the way in which we ‘Smart’ materials possess properties communicate and are largely responsible for the advent of that can be significantly changed by the information age. external stimuli. Examples of these properties include stress, , Central to this new age of information transfer is the network moisture, pH, and electric or of fibre optics that comprise the core of long-distance magnetic fields. telephone communications and the internet. These networks rely on transmitting information through glass or plastic fibres Laser-enabled fibre-optic via pulses of laser light. The light pulses are converted at their sensors that are sensitive to destination into electrical signals that provide the information. movement can be embedded into certain structures as Fibre optical systems are rapidly replacing the pre-existing monitoring tools – for example, copper-wire networks. Their flexibility, lower cost, higher in the rotor blades of wind efficiency, clearer signal and increased capacity (to carry turbines, airplane and spacecraft thousands of times the amount of information that copper structures, and bridges. They can wires can), make them a superior option for the inform of any structural telecommunications industry. changes or impending A new type of laser actually based on specialised optical fibres structural failure. is expected to have a range of important applications including biomedical microscopy and analysis, and quantum-information processing. 13 Communications 50 years of impact 50 years Lasers in our lives in our Lasers Seeing stars more clearly Seeing stars more and galaxies passes through distant stars As light from it becomes turbulent atmospheric layers, the earth’s have long sought to diminish distorted. Astronomers these atmospheric effects so that ground-based precise. and more observations can become clearer employed by One solution, which is becoming increasingly star by shining a astronomers, is to create an artificial guide and laser into the atmosphere. Atmospheric turbulence of this laser on the changes in temperature cause the image what makes sky to distort in a random fashion, it is also Astronomers can stars appear to twinkle in the night sky. the distortions utilise a system of to measure or of this laser image and correct for any aberrations of a deformable deviations. By rapidly changing the surface can be mirror via a computer system, these deviations resulting in clearer astronomical images. compensated for, largest telescopes now use an artificial Many of the world’s which can be conveniently guide star in the form of a laser, directed up into the sky. applied to laser The same adaptive optics technology is also optics network, to communication systems, such as the fibre improve performance and efficiency. Because they can carry large volumes of exploited information as pulses, lasers have been Examples of the ICT industry. extensively across include: employed lasers are where areas Optical storage as Lasers read and write information encoded on CDs, , Blu-Ray and other microscopic ‘pits’ storage media. Communication rolled out Laser-diode coupled fibre optics are being as the backbone of the high-speed internet, with transforming the way in which we interact such as each other and access high volume media movies, games and business information. speed microprocessor Increasing Micro-lasers could provide a high-speed alternative to connect to transistors. Optical signals can be used as integrated circuits at light speed, as well of providing the basis for a new generation holographic memory. Information and communications Information and technology Environment and climate

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Lasers to monitor and understand climate change Global cooling

Climate change and poor air quality are major challenges in a world Clouds are considered to have a of increasing industrialisation and urbanisation. Understanding and substantial impact on climate change monitoring the Earth’s atmosphere is of crucial importance. because of their role in both absorbing and reflecting heat transferred through Observing the atmosphere from space can provide a global view of the atmosphere. atmospheric composition and processes. An innovative research project, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, called the Laser Pollutants such as the organic compounds Heterodyne Radiometer (LHR) has involved the development of a produced when fossil fuels are burnt, are prototype instrument that could potentially be the forerunner of a new believed to affect the formation and growth generation of satellite-based infrared monitoring instruments. The LHR of water droplets in clouds. has been developed to provide a unique combination of high spatial Scientists working at STFC have been able to resolution (to locate gaseous emission sources and observe between an insight into chemical reactions clouds), high spectral resolution (to discriminate between types of gases), occurring on the surfaces of cloud droplets in and high sensitivity to detect the tiniest concentrations of atmospheric the atmosphere. Typical experiments involve constituents. spraying a mist of particles into a model Developed for Earth observation by a team of STFC scientists in ‘cloud chamber’ and using a microscope to collaboration with partners, a prototype LHR instrument has recently focus a laser beam into it. One of the droplets been successfully demonstrated at ‘the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory’ eventually finds its way into the centre of the through ground-based measurements of atmospheric ozone, and is now laser beam and is held in position via the being developed to monitor other key atmospheric trace gases. intense light-field pressure of the laser, which acts like ‘’. Analysis of laser light scattered by the droplet underpins the development of complex computer models of the atmosphere and contributes to improving our understanding of climate change. 15 Environment and climate 50 years of impact 50 years Lasers in our lives in our Lasers Using lasers to tackle Using lasers to oil spills risk, often a major environmental taking Oil spills represent oil is the to clean up. But, for some , many years colonies of hydrocarbon-digesting perfect meal! By introducing impact of oil spills and bacteria, it may be possible to lessen the efficiently. clean them more ‘Lasers for Science Facility’, in collaboration Researchers at STFC’s have and Hydrology, with scientists from the Centre for Ecology that can digest been assessing the different types of bacteria in laser optical hydrocarbons. By capturing individual bacteria can establish tweezers and analysing their spectra, scientists particular chemicals. whether the bacteria have broken down range from cleaning oil Potential future applications of this research petrol stations. spills at sea, to the contaminated land under Important properties of Important properties ecosystems such as those found in can be measured forests tropical using a system of lasers attached Often to the underside of aircraft. with dense vegetation, covered tend to be difficult these forests or even to study on the ground with satellites. A combination of advanced spectroscopic imaging and laser remote-sensing technologies can measure differences in ground elevation to an accuracy of within a few inches. This technology can provide insights into how changes in climate and land use can affect the structure, composition and functioning of ecosystems. Monitoring forests Monitoring forests with lasers Manufacturing

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How are lasers used Building a car Lasers and Lasers and in manufacturing? with lasers semiconductors packaging

➜ Innovative, high- The manufacturing of Scribing, perforating and power lasers have semiconductors requires marking represent areas ➜ Laser marking been utilised by the the rapid, clean cutting where lasers are and engraving automotive industry of composite materials. employed in the since the early Lasers fit this role packaging industry. ➜ Laser welding 1980s. perfectly. Their ability to Some specific uses include cut irregular shapes to Today, almost every the selective weakening of ➜ high precision, whilst modern vehicle will individual packaging layers, minimising surface ➜ have had various providing an ‘easy to open’ Laser melting roughness, makes them encounters with solution, and the puncturing ideal cutting tools. ➜ Laser heat lasers during its of tiny holes such as those treating manufacturing – from Lasers are also used found in bags of vegetables cutting the airbag extensively to mark on supermarket shelves. ➜ Laser cloth, door lining and metals, polymers, silicon These help to create ideal micromachining keys to welding the wafers and printed circuit atmospheric conditions body shell, annealing boards, aiding their within the product, allowing ➜ Laser soldering door springs and traceability during the perishable food to ‘breathe’ marking tyres; lasers manufacturing process. and last longer. ➜ Laser surface are absolutely These miniature, machine- treatment essential tools in readable identification modern automobile marks can be inscribed at production. speeds of more than 1000 characters per second! 17 Manufacturing 50 years of impact 50 years Lasers in our lives in our Lasers Laser light shows Laser pointers Laser printers Laser pocket projectors Games consoles Laser TVs CD players DVD players Consumer Consumer technologies ➜ ➜ ➜ ➜ ➜ ➜ ➜ ➜ ➜ Quality control By shining lasers beams onto ball bearings and measuring the dispersion of the laser light back, reflected their sphericity (or can be roundness) determined. This an efficientproves tool in managing quality control. Laser coding is Industrial laser marking the used extensively across food and beverage manufacturing industry for marking numerical codes, logos and barcodes, symbols onto materials glass, including inked paper, plastic and metals. Intense laser beams can be deployed to remove small amounts of material from the surfaces of packaging and also to melt and modify such surfaces with speed and accuracy. These techniques have numerous benefits, including faster production line speeds and high-quality marking with an enhanced resistance to extremes of temperature and humidity. Mobile, large-area laser Mobile, large-area beams can be deployed paint and to remove contaminants from objects such as aircraft and ships. These lasers tuned to carefully are maximise beam absorption by the contaminant or paint – to give a clean, stripped surface. Because the laser beams have only a minimal impact on the subsurface (usually metal, plastic or ceramic), little residue is left behind. Laser stripping is often a more efficient cleaner, option to previous chemical removal techniques. Paint stripping Before the LASER… …a story of light

The science behind the laser started centuries earlier with scientists such as Isaac Newton, James Clerk Maxwell and Albert Einstein. Traditionally, 18 the UK has played a major role in and its applications.

Isaac Newton James Clerk Maxwell Albert Einstein

Born: 4 January 1643 Born: 13 June 1831 Born: 14 March 1879 Died: 31 March 1727 Died: 5 November 1879 Died: 18 April 1955 Between 1670 and 1672, Isaac Maxwell made remarkable A paper written by Einstein in 1905, Newton investigated the contributions to physics by uniting proposed that light consists of of light and showed that a prism what were previously unrelated quantised particles (later called could split white light into a experiments, equations, and ). This inspired the quantum spectrum of colours. observations of electricity, magnetism mechanical concept that light can and optics into a consistent exist in both a wave and a The same principle applies to water ‘electromagnetic’ theory. Maxwell particle form. droplets, which can act as tiny demonstrated that electric and prisms and refract the Sun’s rays to Just over a decade later, in 1917, magnetic fields travel through space form rainbows. Einstein established the theory of in the form of waves and at the speed of radiation, of light. His equations laid the setting the scientific foundations foundations for many of the scientific for the subsequent discovery of and technological advancements the LASER. during the 20th century, including special relativity and . 19 Where STFC fits into the picture HIGH VERSATILITY AND SENSITIVITY HIGH VERSATILITY offers one of the most concentrated HIGH REPETITION RATE HIGHEST POWER OF ALL HIGHEST POWER OF delivers laser pulses at the petawatt is one of the most powerful and versatile is one of the most powerful Vulcan Lasers for Science Facility Astra Gemini Astra laser systems in the world. This unique facility delivers laser systems in the world. a focused beam – which for 1 picosecond more (0.000000000001 seconds) is 10,000 times Grid – to powerful than the output of the National in support a wide-ranging research programme fundamental physics and advanced applications relevant to clean energy and medicine. Gemini Astra The Lasers for Science Facility (LSF) Vulcan (a million billion ) scale, with unsurpassed rate’ intensity and in an entirely new ‘high-repetition every regime. Its two beams can provide one pulse 20 (compared to once every 20 minutes for seconds This makes it conventional systems such as Vulcan). laser-driven extremely useful for the detailed study of in particle acceleration, opening up a transformation accelerator science and technology. expertise in the world. The facility is and versatile arrays of laser systems and divided into three sections: the Molecular Structure and Dynamics Group, the Functional Biosystems Imaging Group and the EPSRC-funded Laser Loan Pool.

STFC’s Central Laser Facility Central STFC’s an internationally (CLF), provides of laser systems leading range and by academia for research industry.

The UK carries out The UK carries leading research using and creating ultrafast high-power, and high-sensitivity laser systems. Where STFC fits into the picture the into fits STFC Where 50 years of lasers timeline

Concept of the laser Laser lighthouse Laser eye surgery The concept of the laser is introduced by Australia’s Point Danger The first laser eye surgery Charles H. Townes and Arthur L. Schawlow. accommodates the using an is world’s first laser-driven performed in 1987, by lighthouse. ophthalmologist Steven The term ‘LASER’ is coined Trokel. Today, millions This proves to be an The term ‘LASER’, which stands for Light undergo eye surgery effective aid to short- every year. Amplification by Stimulated Emission of range navigation. 20 Radiation, is introduced by .

First operational laser Successful fibre optic test 16 May: The first working laser is The first batch of optical fibre is produced developed at the Hughes Research by scientists at the Corning Glass Works. Labs by , Despite being hundreds of yards long, C.K. Asawa, and I.J. D’Haenens. It they are able to communicate over the consists of a synthetic ruby crystal fibre, via pulses of laser light, with encased by a flash lamp. astonishing clarity.

Diode lasers Laser in space Barcode scanner Lithography The first semi- The first laser- 26 June: The first The first paper on conductor diode equipped satellite product to be scanned Excimer laser lasers are invented. is launched by and logged by a barcode lithography is published These proved to be NASA. scanner is a 10-pack of by Kanti Jain. an important Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit progression towards chewing gum. Today, laser lithography the development of First CD player is employed extensively Today, barcode scanners to produce microchips optical comm- The laser compact disk (CD unication, and are are ubiquitous across for the computer and player) is invented by James the retail sector. electronics industry. nowadays used in a Russell. Years later, in 1982, very wide range of Billy Joel’s 52nd Street is industrial and the first album to be scientific applications. released on CD. 21 50 years of lasers timeline 50 years of impact 50 years Lasers in our lives in our Lasers New type of laser/facility Commercial product/medical application Interesting fact Nobel prize (for laser-related research) HiPER of the European The construction High Power laser collaborative facility should be Energy Research a test complete. HiPER will be systems, facility for prototype that components and materials the subsequent enable will directly construction of a demonstration plant. electricity generating NIF The National Ignition Facility (US) completes construction, with the aim of demonstrating nuclear fusion using powerful lasers. NIF intends to produce than a reaction energy from more to initiate it. was required Astra Gemini laser Gemini Astra completed. This Gemini is Astra can deliver verylaser system with a intense, focused pulses and rate, high repetition study the capability to provides physical matter under extreme to the conditions analogous temperatures and pressures inside stars. Vulcan Petawatt laser Vulcan becomes the highest- Vulcan intensity focused laser in the world. It is used to investigate between fundamental interactions and to carry out light and matter, fusion experiments. laser-driven Magneto-optic data storage data storage Magneto-optic data storage A magneto-optic developed which technique is to utilises a laser and a magnet disk. It is write information to a one capable of compacting a square- billion bits of data into space. of disk centimetre Central Laser Facility Science and Technology Facilities Council Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Harwell Science and Innovation Campus Didcot Oxfordshire OX11 0QX, UK T: +44 (0)1235 445603 F: +44 (0)1235 445888 E: [email protected] W: www.clf.stfc.ac.uk www.stfc.ac.uk

EPSRC The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Polaris House North Star Avenue Swindon SN2 1ET, UK T: +44 (0)1793 444000 W: www.epsrc.ac.uk www.epsrc.ac.uk