Lichtgedanken 04

Rubrik 23 04 | LICHT GEDANKEN ence. The atmosphere at a trade show is, generally, very special. »When so many scientists get together, thought-provok- ing impulses are everywhere; there are so many ingenious and, sometimes also simple, ideas. At times you wonder why you didn't come up with it yourself«, laughs Müller. Together with his colleagues, the Thuringia-born physicist has already been speculating about the upcoming experiment. Unlike the last experi- ment, which saw them send laser pulses through 16 glass fibres with 16 indi- vidual glass cores, he can imagine that the next step would involve using just one glass rod with a larger number of fibre cores. »It would make the entire system smaller so it could be integrated in a more compact way.« Müller’s greatest desire is for a career in science—but he has a very relaxed view of the future. »Up to this point, a door has always opened that met my expec­ tations and so I took the opportunity. I just hope it continues to be so exciting.« Before writing his dissertation on the ultra-short-pulse fibre laser, he wants to experiment further with it and »make the short pulse even shorter.« His aim is to generate an even greater output, and that is what drives him—be it at the con- ference in the USA or in his local labo­ ratory in Jena. World-record holder Michael Müller and his laser system, which consists of 16 amplifier modules, with a coherent beam combination. The 27-year- old is a doctoral candidate at the Institute of Applied Physics. The aim of his research is not, however, just to break records. He wants to develop powerful short-pulse lasers for use in microscopy or in the manufacturing of computer chips and in fundamental research. Contact Michael Müller, Prof. Dr Jens Limpert Institute of Applied Physics Albert‐Einstein‐Straße 15, D-07745 Jena, Germany Phone: +49 36 41 9-47647 , +49 36 41 9-47811 Email: michael.mm.mueller@uni-jena.de, jens.limpert@uni-jena.de www.iap.uni-jena.de Further Information: www.iap.uni-jena.de/fiber_waveguide+lasers.html