NIST scientists create 'any wavelength' lasers

Scope and Capabilities of the Device

• Some argue this is mostly about integrated optics that manipulate frequency via nonlinear effects, not a fundamentally new tunable diode laser.
• Others counter that it effectively functions as a chip-scale “supercontinuum source,” approximating “any wavelength” output.
• A key clarification: devices produce many discrete, design-time-selectable wavelengths, not a smoothly tunable, arbitrary frequency dial. Fine thermal tuning is limited.
• Reported efficiency example cited from the paper: ~35 mW in, ~6 mW out at 485 nm.

Relevance to Photonic and Quantum Computing

• Several comments say “photonic computing” hype is overstated: photonic switches (e.g., interferometers) are physically larger and likely more expensive than CMOS, so not a general-compute replacement.
• Stronger case is made for:
  • Low‑power, high‑bandwidth optical interconnects.
  • Quantum computing with ions or neutral atoms, where arbitrary wavelengths remove constraints on which species can be used and enable access to specific atomic transitions and Rydberg states.
• One detailed view: photonics is great for communication and interferometric processing, but bulk CMOS still wins for logic density and cost.

Communications and Bandwidth

• Potential to pack more distinct colors into fiber for wavelength-division multiplexing is discussed, but several note:
  • Fiber has limited low‑loss windows; visible wavelengths attenuate too strongly for long-haul use.
  • Current telecom tech already densely populates these windows.
• Distinction made between: photons vs electrons speed; information in electronics already propagates near light speed, so benefits are mainly bandwidth, not latency.

Other Applications and Limitations

• Suggested uses:
  • Precision spectroscopy and chemistry by matching molecular/atomic transitions.
  • Tailored industrial lasers for cutting, welding, drilling, and possibly rock tunneling or geothermal boring.
  • Quantum sensing and metrology.
• EUV/gamma/microwave variants are considered unlikely with this approach; EUV in particular is heavily absorbed and hard to handle at high power.

Color, Displays, and Perception

• Extensive side discussion on:
  • Non-spectral colors (magenta, brown), CIE color space, and “impossible colors.”
  • Idea that two tunable lasers could, in principle, reproduce any perceivable color and represent the “final frontier” of display tech.
  • How language, context, and physiology shape color perception; debates on whether naming colors changes what we can perceptually distinguish.

Safety, Weapons, and Practical Concerns

• Concern raised that arbitrary-wavelength sources could defeat laser safety goggles that rely on narrow-band blocking.
• Speculation about weaponization (e.g., bypassing wavelength-specific protections), but details remain unclear.