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Cant we build a positive feedback loop with algae and solar, like stimulated emission in lasers?
by sydthrowaway 4y ago
Cant we build a positive feedback loop with algae and solar, like stimulated emission in lasers?
- dmos62 4y agoWhat is stimulated emission in lasers, and how might that concept transfer to algae and solar? I googled the definition, but it was way over my head.
- dekhn 4y agoThe way lasers work is to have a material (called the "gain material") and put a bunch of energy into it. The energy, in the form of light, bounces around in the material and interacts with it, causing it to line up in very specific ways. Eventually, that light is spit out of the material, typically in a straight line, with all the wavelengths kind of lined up, in phase. An important detail related to the term "stimulated emission" is that when you pump energy into the gain medium, the normal histogram of energy populations (IE, how many molecules are in each energy bucket) is swapped- more counts in the higher energy buckets- and then they release that extra energy in the form of light. Trying to interpret that comment, I assume they're saying that you could use algae as a gain medium, solar as the light-energy input, and the algae would eventually somehow "lase". i don't see how this could happen as algae would make a terrible gain medium, and concentrating the solar that much would progbably cause them to overheat and die. That said, "solar concentrators" do exist for algae photosynthesis: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10811-008-9324-6 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10811-008-9324-6 basically, lenses to provide more light to algae to make it grow faster.