Laser Pulse Turns Glass Into Metal: New Effect Could be Used for Ultra-Fast Logical Devices
Today, most devices have transistors that work on a time scale of picoseconds (10^-12), but now transistors can move down the scale and work up to a 1000 times faster and work on a time scale of femtoseconds (10^-15) thanks to the new laser technology. Short and powerful laser pulses can make quartz glass have metallic properties in a matter of a femptasecond and then when the laser pulse passes, it turns back into regular quartz glass. Quartz glass does not conduct electricity, it is an insulator, so giving it metallic properties makes it a conductor for a femptasecond. This is because the laser pulse has an extremely strong electric field and makes the oxygen located in the glass to release its electrons so they could run free, just like in metal. "The laser pulse is an extremely strong electric field, which has the power to dramatically change the electronic states in the quartz," says Georg Wachter, a scientist involved in the project. "The pulse can not only transfer energy to the electrons, it completely distorts the whole structure of possible electron states in the material." Ultra fast light electronics will probably use this in the future. This could be used in logical devices by letting electricity flow into the quartz glass, but it would not be able to go in, because quartz glass is an insulator, but when the laser pulse is sent, it turns into a conductor and electricity can pass for a femptasecond and create a signal, but when the pulse passes, electricity will no longer be able to flow through. "Modelling such
effects is an extremely complex task, because many quantum processes have to be
taken into account simultaneously," says Joachim Burgdörfer. Quartz glass has a crystal structure scientists have only experimented on materials with a crystal structure for now, so those materials are currently the best and shortest conductors, but future experiments with different materials will determine the truth in that. If this laser pulse and quartz glass technology replaces all logical devices and transistors we use today, it would save a lot of time if all the wasted time is added up, for it is a 1000 times faster, which would do only good to society. Because of the new speed, tiny amounts of electricity would be saved and that would improve the household economy.
Good job on being able to write about such a complicated topic.You could have included a picture otherwise good job. My question is will scientists continue to make these laser beams faster or the amount of resources going into researches are not worth the small amounts of energy that are being saved?
ReplyDeleteI like how you explained such a complicated topic in the simplest way possible. I like that you explained all the relevant scientific words for those who don't understand them. You could have included a picture to further explain what you are talking about. I l like that you said how this affects the world's logical devices, and how it can help society. Do you think there are any possible downsides to promoting this new technology? If so what might they be?
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