Pigment-Free Feathers Inspire Mirrorless Laser
NEW HAVEN, Conn., May 11, 2011 — Bright, colorful birds, the feathers of which get their color not from pigment molecules but from a largely random distribution of embedded air pockets, are the inspiration for a new mirrorless laser developed at Yale University. The Rufous-collared Kingfisher. (Image: Jakob Wijkema/PLoS Journals/Wikimedia Commons) In a traditional laser, light is temporarily trapped inside a mirrored cavity, where it can be amplified by a gain medium. While in the last 10 years researchers have develop...