These Tiny Lasers Are Completely Edible (science.org) 15
"Scientists have created the first lasers made entirely from edible materials," reports Science magazine "which could someday help monitor and track the properties of foods and medications with sensors that can be harmlessly swallowed."
[The researchers' report] shows that tiny droplets of everyday cooking oils can act like echo chambers of light, otherwise known as lasers. By providing the right amount of energy to an atom, the atom's electrons will excite to a higher energy level and then relax, releasing a photon of light in the process. Trap a cloud of atoms in a house of mirrors and blast them with the right amount of energy, and the light emitted by one excited atom will stimulate one of its neighbors, amplifying the atoms' collective glow...
[The researchers] shot purple light at droplets of olive oil, whose surfaces can keep photons of light bouncing around, trapping them in the process. This reflected light excited the electrons in the oil's chlorophyll molecules, causing them to emit photons that triggered the glow of other chlorophyll molecules — transforming the droplet into a laser. The energy of the chlorophyll's radiation depends on the oil droplets' size, density, and other properties. The study's authors suggest this sensitivity can be exploited to track different properties of food or pharmaceutical products.
When researchers added oil droplets to foods and then measured changes in the laser light the droplets emitted, they could reliably infer the foods' sugar concentration, acidity, exposure to high temperatures, and growth of microorganisms. They also used the lasers to encode information, with droplets of different diameters functioning like the lines of a barcode. By mixing in sunflower oil droplets of seven specific sizes — all less than 100 microns wide — the researchers encoded a date directly into peach compote: 26 April, 2017, the first international Stop Food Waste Day.
Thanks to long-time Slashdot reader sciencehabit for sharing the news.
[The researchers] shot purple light at droplets of olive oil, whose surfaces can keep photons of light bouncing around, trapping them in the process. This reflected light excited the electrons in the oil's chlorophyll molecules, causing them to emit photons that triggered the glow of other chlorophyll molecules — transforming the droplet into a laser. The energy of the chlorophyll's radiation depends on the oil droplets' size, density, and other properties. The study's authors suggest this sensitivity can be exploited to track different properties of food or pharmaceutical products.
When researchers added oil droplets to foods and then measured changes in the laser light the droplets emitted, they could reliably infer the foods' sugar concentration, acidity, exposure to high temperatures, and growth of microorganisms. They also used the lasers to encode information, with droplets of different diameters functioning like the lines of a barcode. By mixing in sunflower oil droplets of seven specific sizes — all less than 100 microns wide — the researchers encoded a date directly into peach compote: 26 April, 2017, the first international Stop Food Waste Day.
Thanks to long-time Slashdot reader sciencehabit for sharing the news.
And of course (Score:3)
Sharks are also edible.
Re: (Score:2)
For some definitions of "edible", of course.
In the words of my Prof (Score:2)
With enough energy, you can make anything lase.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
I feel exactly the same way about "esper".
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interesting (Score:2)
By providing the right amount of energy to an atom, the atom's electrons will excite to a higher energy level and then relax, releasing a photon of light in the process.
same with me and dope, except i don't think i release any photons.
btw, will there be an xxxxxl version? asking for an american friend ...
Do not look into laser with remaining ... (Score:1)
... intestine.
When you were a kid, your mom always said... (Score:2)
"Don't eat junk food before dinner, you'll kill your appetite." But I didn't think she meant it like this.
Shark food! (Score:2)
Dr Evil was indeed a visionary,
But don't combine them with soda! (Score:2)
And you thought pop rocks and coke was a killer combination.
Imagine what would happen if you ate a laser, drank some diet coke, and had a mento. Pew Pew Pew!
Edible lasers? (Score:1)
Every laser is edible (Score:2)
If you're not a wimp.