Print Your Own Laser?

Laser Beams Shoot from Printer

Analysis by Lori Cuthbert
Sat Sep 22, 2012 01:31 PM ET

Lasers are everywhere -- in DVD players, fiber optic communications and even displays. They are so useful it would be great if they were flexible and easy to make, but that hasn't been the case, until now.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge in the U.K. have developed a way to print lasers on a variety of surfaces, using a printer not too far removed from the one on an average desktop.

The team, led by D. J. Gardiner of the Center for Molecular Materials for Photonics, used liquid crystals similar to those used in liquid crystal displays. With the right kind of stimulation, the molecules in liquid crystals emit laser light.

More - Link >>> http://news.discovery.com/tech/laser-beams-shoot-from-printer-120922.html

Sources: University of Cambridge, Journal Soft Matter, Discovery Channel News.

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