New class of 3-D optical cavities demonstrated

Nanoscale three-dimensional optical cavities made from metamaterials can generate the most powerful nanolaser beams to date.

This new class of optical cavities, with remarkable electromagnetic properties, holds promise for a variety of other technologies, including photonic integrated circuits, LEDs, quantum optics, nonlinear optics and optical sensing.

Optical cavities are the major components of most lasers. Light confined within these cavities reflects back and forth between two opposing mirrors to produce a standing wave at a specific resonant frequency. It is from this standing light wave that a laser beam is generated.