University’s new laser system could help astronomers in the hunt for exoplanets

But it emits light at one billion pulses a second, helping to produce what is known as a frequency comb.

Professor Derryck Reid, head of the ultrafast optics group at Heriot-Watt University, said the laser has huge potential to enable astronomers to detect small, Earth-like planets orbiting distant stars.

According to the university, the laser reduces the cost, complexity and power consumption of typical ultrafast lasers by around a factor of 10.

Details of the breakthrough have been reported in the journal Optics Express.

Prof Reid believes it could help astronomers searching for exoplanets – planets which revolve around stars outside of the Earth’s solar system.

Using space telescopes, astronomers have already identified thousands of stars that might have exoplanets, but each of these must be confirmed by ground-based telescopes looking for tiny fluctuations in the colour of the star’s light that are the signatures of an orbiting planet

“These tiny wavelength shifts confirm the presence of an orbiting planet and provide its mass and orbital period.

Article source: https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1686700/exoplanets-space-edinburgh-laser-system-science-news