Masers made easy

Abstract

The technological potential of masers — the microwave equivalents of lasers — has been thwarted by their impractical operating conditions. A solid-state maser that works at room temperature may change that. See Letter p.353 The maser is the microwave-frequency precursor of the now ubiquitous laser — or 'optical maser', as it was once known. But it has had little technological impact compared with the laser, in large part because of inconvenience: masers typically require vacuum and/or low-temperature operating conditions. Overcoming these obstacles would pave the way for significant maser-based innovations, including drastically more sensitive measurements across a range of scientific disciplines, from molecular biology to radio astronomy. And, if the history of the laser is any indication, applications not yet dreamt of. Mark Oxborrow, Jonathan Breeze and Neil Alford have now developed a solid-state room-temperature maser, based on an organic molecular crystal, that should enhance the potential of the maser as a tool for science and technology.