Scientists have created the first ‘water-wave laser’ that emits a beam through the interaction of light and water waves, and may be used in ‘lab-on-a-chip’ devices to study cell biology and test new drug therapies. The latest discovery will find broad applications in cell biology and new drug therapies. The tiny laser could someday find use as small sensors which combine light waves, sound and water waves.

• As of now, it will offer an avenue to study the interaction of light and fluid on a scale which is smaller than the width of a human hair.
• The study was spearheaded by Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and will offer a bridge between two different areas of research which were once considered unrelated to each other i.e. nonlinear optics and water waves.
• The laser is an acronym for “Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation” and is produced when electrons are excited by energy absorbed from a foreign source. Researchers have shown that water wave oscillation can also emit radiation in the form of laser light.
• To increase the effect in the device researchers have used transparent and highly fluid liquid to augment the light and droplet interaction.
• A drop of water is a many time softer than the present materials used to produce lasers. This will be advantageous because it will help better control of the lasers.