Lasers that emit extremely short light pulses are highly precise and are used in manufacturing, medical applications, and research. The problem: efficient short-pulse lasers require a lot of space and are expensive.

Researchers at the University of Stuttgart have now developed a new system in cooperation with Stuttgart Instruments GmbH. It is more than twice as efficient as previous systems, fits in the palm of a hand, and is highly versatile. The research is published in the journal Nature.

80% efficiency is possible
"With our new system, we can achieve levels of efficiency that were previously almost unattainable," says Prof. Harald Giessen, Head of the 4th Physics Institute at the University of Stuttgart. Through their experiments, the researchers demonstrated that achieving 80% efficiency with a short-pulse laser is fundamentally possible.

This means that 80% of the power input can actually be used. "For comparison: current technologies achieve only about 35%—which means they lose much of their efficiency and are correspondingly expensive," explains Giessen.

A lot of energy in an extremely short time
Short-pulse lasers generate light pulses that last only nano-, pico-, or femtoseconds (i.e., a few billionths to quadrillionths of a second). This allows them to concentrate a large amount of energy on a small area within an extremely short time. A pump laser and the laser that emits the short pulses work together. The pump laser supplies a special crystal with light energy. This crystal is the core of the process and transfers the energy from the pump laser to the ultrashort signal pulse. This converts the incoming light particles into infrared light.

This makes it possible to carry out experiments, measurements, or production processes that are not possible with visible light. Short-pulse lasers are used in production—for example, for precise and gentle material processing. They are also used in medical technology for imaging processes or in quantum research for particularly precise measurements at the molecular level.