For a long time, many organizations around the world have tried to detect diseases by detecting breathing, and it is quite attractive because they can be found early without entering the patient. Now scientists have developed a new type of laser that can detect low concentrations of gas. This opens up more possibilities for disease diagnosis and other applications.
This zirconium fluoride-based erbium-doped glass fiber laser is in the mid-infrared frequency range, which is the frequency at which many hydrocarbon gases absorb light. This laser has much higher energy than lasers in the same frequency range, producing 25 times more light from the latter, and is more efficient, paving the way for low-concentration gases.
The researchers used a new method to overcome the problem that the mid-infrared frequency laser could not generate enough energy. As a result, it can detect gases with high sensitivity, for example, to detect contaminated gases in the operating room.
The detection of specific components and gases by respiratory testing has proven to be valuable for diagnosing specific diseases. In December last year, a team of British researchers began experimenting with a new device to detect specific chemicals in the breathing of early lung cancer patients.
The new laser can also be used for many other applications, such as detecting atmospheric gases such as methane and ethanol.