Innovation
SA scientists develop world’s first digital laser Editorial – Lauren Grey
South Africa is widely regarded for its contribution and innovative thinking in the field of science and technology, which was demonstrated this year when researchers at the country’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research developed the world’s first digital laser.
Here at IndustrySA, innovation, business success and advances in technology are at the heart of what we do, and every month we aim to bring you the latest in ground-breaking technology direct from South Africa. This month we take a look at the revolutionary findings released by South Africa’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), which have shown that, contrary to popular belief, laser beams can be digitally controlled from within a laser device. The Council’s findings were published in prestigious journal Nature Communications, a multidisciplinary journal dedicated to publishing high-quality research in all areas of the biological, physical and chemical sciences. Announcing the breakthrough at a media briefing in Pretoria, Science and Technology Minister Derek Hanekom, said it demonstrated the country’s potential in scientific innovation, “That the world’s first digital laser should come from our country is testimony to the calibre of scientists that South Africa has.” It was CSIR researcher, Sandile Ngcobo’s work that led to the breakthrough, and he believes that the digital laser will prove to be a ‘disruptive’ technology. “This is technology which may
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change the status quo and which could create new markets and value networks within the next few years or decade,” Ngcobo said in a statement.
HOW IT WORKS Laser devices usually consist of mirrors, energy (light) and a casing containing a medium such as crystal or glass. The medium is used to change the frequency of the light to create a laser beam with the perfect characteristics for different applications, such as DVD players, barcode scanners, surgical technology in hospitals or devices to cut and weld industrial materials in factories; the list is endless. In conventional lasers, the shape of the light that comes out is either not controlled at all, or a single shape is selected by expensive optics. Alternatively, the laser light can be shaped after exiting the laser using a spatial light modulator – a liquid crystal display (LCD) that can be digitally addressed with grey-scale images representing the desired change to the light. However, the CSIR team demonstrated for the first time that the laser light can be shaped and manipulated inside the laser, as Professor Andrew Forbes, leader of the mathematical optics research group explained.