(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at the University of New Mexico
have established a new low in temperature cooling through laser
cooling of solids to cryogenic temperatures. Under an AFOSR,
MURI grant, a team led by UNM Professor, Mansoor Sheik-Bahae,
created the first-ever all-solid-state cryocooler (temperatures
that can only be obtained by liquefying gases and mechanical
refrigerators) that can be used for a variety of applications
ranging from cooling infrared sensors to superconducting
electronics. This work was just published in the January
(online) issue of Nature Photonics. To view the paper visit:
Laser cooling of solids to cryogenic temperatures. Graduate
students Denis Seletskiy and Seth Melgaard designed and
performed the experiments at UNM's Department of Physics and
Astronomy in collaboration with researchers from Los Alamos
National Lab and the University of Pisa, Italy. The consortium
research project grew out of a collaboration with Los Alamos
National Labs more than seven years ago. Laser coolin