Frequency comb identifies molecules every 20 nanoseconds – Physics World physicsworld.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from physicsworld.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Toptica Photonics AG and the University of Colorado Boulder have developed a device that can detect the presence of specific molecules in a sample every 20 nanoseconds, or billionths of a second. With this new capability, researchers can potentially use frequency combs to better understand the split-second intermediate steps in fast-moving processes ranging from the workings of hypersonic jet engines to the chemical reactions between enzymes that regulate cell growth.