Using a soap bubble, researchers have created a laser that could act as a sensitive sensor for environmental parameters including atmospheric pressure.
Soap bubbles are known for their attention-grabbing effect on toddlers, and now researchers have shown that these objects have another dazzling use—generating color-tunable laser light [1]. They demonstrated that a dye dissolved in the soap solution of such a bubble can amplify light circulating in the spherical shell and produce laser light. This light is visible as a glowing ring around the bubble. Such “bubble lasers” could act as precision sensors for measuring atmospheric pressure or for detecting changes in an electric field.
The allure of bubbles comes in large part from their interaction with light. As soap bubbles dance through the air, they sparkle like glitter, shifting hues as they move. This phenomenon, known as iridescence, comes from the interference of light waves within a bubble’s soapy shell.
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