NIST Shows How to Make a Compact Frequency Comb in Minutes (IMAGE)

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

NIST Shows How to Make a Compact Frequency Comb in Minutes

Caption

NIST physicists have developed a one-minute process for creating optical microcavities made of fused quartz. The photo shows four cavities with diameters (top to bottom) of 0.36 millimeters (mm), 0.71 mm, 1.2 mm, and 1.5 mm. When excited with laser light, the cavities can be used for many applications, including the generation of frequency combs used to precisely measure different colors of light. Smaller cavities produce wider spacing between the comb "teeth" (specific colors).

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Del'Haye/NIST

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