Laserati

A FINE-TOOTH COMB TO MEASURE THE ACCELERATING UNIVERSE
Developing a precise ruler for the future

Astronomical instruments needed to answer crucial questions, such as the search for Earth-like planets or the way the Universe expands, have come a step closer with the first demonstration at the telescope of a new calibration system for precise spectrographs. The method uses a Nobel Prize-winning technology called a 'laser frequency comb', and is published in this week's issue of Science.

"It looks as if we are on the way to fulfil one of astronomers' dreams," says team member Theodor Hänsch, director at the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics (MPQ) in Germany. Hänsch, together with John Hall, was awarded the 2005 Nobel Prize in Physics for work including the frequency comb technique.

Image from CRIMSON.

There is an article on the Harvard Crimson, reporting and explaining how a special type of laser, namely Astro-Comb, can help in the search for other earth-like planets.