Monday, November 16, 2009

Scientists Build First Frequency Comb

Scientists at the University of Konstanz in Germany and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the United States have built the first optical frequency comb — a tool for precisely measuring different frequencies of visible light — that actually looks like a comb.

The "teeth" of the new frequency comb are separated enough that when viewed with a simple optical system — a grating and microscope — the human eye can see each of the approximately 50,000 teeth spanning the visible colour spectrum from red to blue. A frequency comb with such well-separated, visibly distinct teeth will be an important tool for a wide range of applications in astronomy, communications and many other areas.

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