A vacuum-ultraviolet laser with submicrometer spot for spatially resolved photoemission spectroscopy

If vacuum ultraviolet lasers can be focused into a small beam spot, it will allow investigation of mesoscopic materials and structures and enable the manufacture of nano-objects with excellent precision. Towards this goal, Scientist in China invented a 177 nm VUV laser system that can achieve a sub-micron focal spot at a long focal length. This system can be re-equipped for usage in low-cost angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and might benefit condensed matter physics.