Synopsis

Bose-Einstein Condensates for Gamma-Ray Lasers

A theoretical study suggests a new way to build a gamma-ray laser from a Bose-Einstein condensate of electron-positron pairs.

Hamlet Avetissian/Yerevan State University

Hamlet Avetissian/Yerevan State University ×

Gamma-ray lasers could have a number of important applications, from high-resolution imaging to new ways to probe or control nuclear transitions. But building such lasers is still impossible because of the lack of suitable amplification media and mirrors. As reported in Physical Review Letters, Hamlet Avetissian and colleagues at the Yerevan State University in Armenia have theoretically investigated a gamma-ray laser based on a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) of positronium—hydrogenlike atoms made of an electron and a positron. Their analysis suggests that such a laser could be easier to build than previously thought, since it could be based on a single-pass scheme that does not rely on gamma-ray mirrors. Although physicists have yet to make a positronium BEC, recent advances in the manipulation of the short-lived particles suggest the authors’ theory might soon be tested.