Scientists from Heriot-Watt University have found that lasers powered by the sun could be a technology of the future.

Sunlight-powered lasers could be used instead of fossil fuels to start the chemical processes for the energy-intensive production of fertiliser, university scientists say.

Currently, lasers are powered by electrical energy from a battery or the electrical grid. Even if renewable generation electricity is used, this requires additional infrastructure and inevitable loss of energy.

Dr Erik Gauger from Heriot-Watt’s Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences has outlined how lasers powered by the Sun could work in a study published in the New Journal of Physics.

Working with a team of international colleagues, they took inspiration for the new system from nature.

Commenting on his work, Gauger said: “Sunlight is abundant, but because it is dilute and variable, it is difficult to collect, store and harness.

“Nature has already found a way to do this through photosynthesis, when plants turn sunlight, water and carbon into food and energy.

“We’ve designed a bio-inspired blueprint for a new laser system that can upgrade natural sunlight into a coherent laser beam.”

Other scientists have already started working on solar-powered lasers, but those demonstrated so far require elaborate systems and high levels of refrigeration.

Gauger and his Italian and Mexican colleagues turned to purple bacteria, a group of photosynthetic organisms found in ponds and lakes for inspiration for their new system.

He continued: “Purple bacteria have ring-like antennae which have a reaction centre in their middle that allows them to convert sunlight to chemical energy. If we can find a way to strip out the reaction centres and replace them with a much simpler structure, we could use a bunch of those modified photosynthetic structures to convert sunlight into a laser beam under ambient conditions.

“Specifically, our design would be self-contained and neither require an external power source, nor complicated large surrounding lenses. It would be lightweight and portable and entirely natural, organic components. It would constitute the ultimate source of green energy.

“We have all these ingredients available; we just need to find the best way to play molecular Lego and assemble the structures.”

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Gauger added that the result could be a solar-powered laser that would be low energy, but still useful for a range of applications.

“Solar-powered lasers could be used to generate green energy or to bring about chemical processes. This could tackle the carbon footprint of processes like the production of fertiliser, which is currently responsible for 1-2% of global energy consumption.

“This is hugely exciting. We could use one of our most abundant resources to help reach net zero.”

In March last year, Heriot-Watt researchers formed a partnership with semiconductor lithography machines supplier ASML to drive the advancement of new light source technologies.

The five-year collaboration sought research by Heriot-Watt’s Professor John Travers to help create a direct route from lab to market for new laser technologies.

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