B2 – Upper Intermediate
Scientists have developed a new miniature fiber laser that is sharper, smaller, and smarter than previous versions.
Read the article to know how this laser technology could have significant applications in fields such as medical diagnostics, communications, and environmental sensing, due to its enhanced precision and reduced size.
Vocabulary Questions:
- What is “optical gain source”? “Fiber lasers use an optical fiber doped with rare-earth elements (erbium, ytterbium, neodymium, etc) as their optical gain source.“ Use it in a sentence.
- What does “gold standard” mean here, “Fiber lasers are also the ‘gold standard’ for low-phase noise, meaning that their beams remain stable over time.”? Use it in a sentence.
- What does “tunability” mean? “Now, scientists led by Dr Yang Liu and Professor Tobias Kippenberg at EPFL have built the first ever chip-integrated erbium-doped waveguide laser that approaches the performance with fiber-based lasers, combining wide wavelength tunability with the practicality of chip-scale photonic integration.” Use it in a sentence.
Discussion Questions:
- What are the key advancements in the new miniature fiber laser that make it sharper and smaller than previous versions?
- How might this new fiber laser technology be applied in medical diagnostics?
- What specific improvements does this fiber laser offer for communications and environmental sensing applications?
- Which research institutions or scientists were involved in the development of this groundbreaking miniature fiber laser?