Laser Cooling Technique

Scientists from the University of Washington have chalked out a way to refrigerate water and other liquids in real world conditions by using infrared laser. Lasers until now were known to heat certain objects by focusing concentrated beams of light on them. Moreover, they have been repeatedly projected as a lethal weapon in the reel world.

However, researchers in the real world have for the first time used laser to cool water by about 2°C. Washington scientists used an infrared laser to cool water, something that will be a boon for many industries where instant cooling is required. The lasers could find an application in microprocessors in the near future wherein they could cool down computer chips to prevent them from overheating.

Researchers for the experiment suspended a single microscopic crystal in water and illuminated it with infrared laser that triggered a unique glow with slightly more energy than the amount of light absorbed. The energy glow carried away heat from both the crystal and water surrounding it thus cooling the water. Scientists achieved this daunting task by running the laser phenomenon in reverse and using infrared lights so as to prevent cells from sunburn.