LED-pumped room-temperature solid-state maser

Abstract Room-temperature MASERs (Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) amplify electromagnetic waves at microwave frequencies with minimal noise. We demonstrate a cost-effective LED-pumped maser using pentacene-doped para-terphenyl as the gain medium. Here, we show that LED l...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Sophia Long, Lisa Lopez, Bethan Ford, François Balembois, Riccardo Montis, Wern Ng, Daan M. Arroo, Neil McN. Alford, Hamdi Torun, Juna Sathian
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-07-01
Series:Communications Engineering
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s44172-025-00455-w
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Summary:Abstract Room-temperature MASERs (Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) amplify electromagnetic waves at microwave frequencies with minimal noise. We demonstrate a cost-effective LED-pumped maser using pentacene-doped para-terphenyl as the gain medium. Here, we show that LED light, which is brightness-enhanced and guided via a cerium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet luminescent concentrator, achieves persistent maser emission at 1.45 GHz with a duration of 200 µs and a microwave output power of 0.014 mW, surpassing previous non-laser pumped systems. Operating at low voltage, the LED-pumped maser ensures safety, reduced costs, and simple integration. Potential applications include sensitive magnetic resonance imaging, portable atomic clocks, quantum technologies, and enhanced deep-space radio astronomy.
ISSN:2731-3395