High-power laser system generates ultrashort pulses of light covering a large share of the mid-infrared spectrum
(PHYSorg.com Physics)

Molecules are the building blocks of life. Like all other organisms, we are made of them. They control our biorhythm, and they can also reflect our state of health. Researchers led by Ferenc Krausz at the Laboratory for Attosecond Physics (LAP) - a joint venture between Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) and the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics (MPQ) in Munich - want to use brilliant infrared light to study molecular disease markers in much greater detail, for example to facilitate early stage cancer diagnosis. The team has developed a powerful femtosecond light source which emits at wavelengths between 1.6 and 10.2 micrometers. This instrument should make it possible to detect organic molecules present in extremely low concentrations in blood or aspirated air.