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Solitary light pulses on a chip-sized laser open up analytical applications

Self-reinforcing light pulses known as solitons are fundamental structures in wave dynamics. Previously, solitons could be produced only by bench-top lasers, but they can now also be generated using chip-sized mid-infrared lasers. This innovation enables the development of portable, efficient tools for use in spectroscopy, environmental sensing and medical diagnostics.

This is a summary of: Opačak, N. et al. Nozaki–Bekki solitons in semiconductor lasers. Nature 625, 685–690 (2024).

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-04123-x

‘Expert opinion’ is published under a CC BY 4.0 licence.

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