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Atomic physics

An almost lightless laser

Nature volume 484, pages 43–44 (2012)Cite this article

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Lasers are often described in terms of a light field circulating in an optical resonator system. Now a laser has been demonstrated in which the field resides primarily in the atomic medium that is used to generate the light. See Letter p.78

Atomic clocks based on optical transitions in trapped ions or atoms are the most accurate instruments ever made1,2,3,4. However, the best atomic clocks are limited by the frequency stability of the laser with which the optical transitions are probed. In a study that builds on previous theoretical research5, Bohnet et al.6 (page 78) describe a prototype of an unusual ultrastable laser.

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Figure 1: Standard and superradiant lasers.

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  1. Vladan Vuletic is in the Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.,

    Vladan Vuletic

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  1. Vladan Vuletic
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Correspondence to Vladan Vuletic.

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Vuletic, V. An almost lightless laser. Nature 484, 43–44 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/484043a

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