Scientists develop new laser from jellyfish proteins

•  Fluorescent proteins from jellyfish that were grown in bacteria have been used to create a laser for the first time.
• The breakthrough represents a major advance in so-called polariton lasers.
• Polariton lasers are different in their physics from conventional lasers, and potentially more efficient at generating light at low energy levels. However, they have previously proven unsuitable for real-world applications. One reason for this is the cryogenic temperature they require to work effectively. Polariton lasers have had to be operated at very, very low temperatures — below the temperature at which nitrogen gas becomes a liquid — which is not very convenient.
• These constraints are one of the areas the new jellyfish protein-based improves on previous polariton lasers, since it can be operated at room temperature.

About GFP(Green Fluorescent Protein)

• The protein is naturally expressed in the North American jellyfish Aequorea victoria, and works by absorbing energy from blue light in the environment and emitting a green glow in response. Scientists don't know why these jellyfish evolved their glow, but one hypothesis is that it helps them ward off predators.
• Jellyfish aren't the only bioluminescent (making their own glow) creatures on the planet. Differently colored glowing proteins occur naturally in more than a hundred species, including fireflies and corals. Many of these fluorescent proteins are being used to derive new colored tags for research.
• GFP remains special because it spontaneously folds into the right shape when it's created, ready to glow without needing help from additional chemicals, enzymes or other substances.

Analysis:

• One of the key advantages of the new approach is that the light-emitting part of the protein molecules is protected within a nanometer-scale cylindrical shell, which prevents them from interfering with each other. This overcomes a major problem that has plagued previous designs. This allows the laser to operate with much longer pump pulses, which are easier to generate and allows for simpler implementations.
• This would create a “bio-compatible, bio-implantable light source.” This tiny laser could even be embedded in individual cells, and due to its protein-based nature would not be rejected by them. At the same time, its low energy operation would not risk damaging surrounding tissues.
• The discovery of GFP opened the door to exciting new scientific possibilities, like seeing how specific sets of cells behave during embryonic development, studying how cells die during a process called apoptosis and even finding new ways to turn fluorescence on and off.
• GFP is good for studying cells, but it does have its limitations. In live mammals, its fluorescent colors are often masked because hemoglobinin the blood absorbs the visible light that GFP emits.
• It could open up research avenues in quantum physics and optical computing.
• It consumes less energy compared to conventional lasers.
• It can be used for the purpose more efficient optical communications or in medical lasers that are less destructive to living tissue.

By: Vishal