Do you think you have covid or the simple flu?
Because this can be difficult to determine, many people rush to get an antibody test. Scientists are currently working on tools that can provide you with the solution from the comfort of your own home.
This type of smart device offers advanced optical sensors that improve the ability to study molecules through light, helping patients distinguish between COVID and the flu and even identifying early warning signs of diabetes. does. The gadget, namely a microresonator, is a small optical cavity capable of holding large amounts of optical data. Compared to other long-wave infrared spectrum types, it is approximately 100 times more efficient.
“It can retain 100 times more light than the previous version, which increases the optical field inside and makes nonlinear processes much easier,” said Dingding Ren, a researcher at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). is, as generating a frequency comb”. Department of Electronic Systems, in a media release.
“We have created the lowest-loss whispering gallery-mode microresonator out there for the long-wave infrared spectrum. Because the long-wave infrared spectrum provides precise information about chemicals, it opens up new possibilities for sensing applications. provides.
With the help of gadgets built with this cutting-edge technology, scientists will soon be able to examine many compounds simultaneously and produce broadband frequency combs in the long-wave infrared spectrum. Frequency combs, which are laser beams with discrete, evenly spaced frequency lines in the spectrum, are often used in GPS technology as well as in phone and computer components.
Such equipment already exists, such as the Fourier transform infrared interferometer.
However, due to their size and high cost, these machines are unsuitable for widespread use. In reality, only large institutions and hospitals can afford to use them. There are other, more basic machines that can test many chemicals simultaneously, but don’t work in this scenario.
The essential component of this microresonator is germanium, which was used in the world’s first transistor in 1947, before silicon dominated the market. Even today, germanium is used as a component in sensors and infrared cameras, maintaining its place in the world of optical lenses, the authors explain in their article published in the journal Nature Communications. In addition, it costs very little money.
The goal of this global research team is to release this product for widespread use in the market soon. His work is supported by a three-year Fripro grant from the Research Council of Norway.
“We promised we would develop a better microresonator, and we succeeded,” Ren said.
