"Thin Air Fiber: A Breakthrough in Optical Technology"
Researchers at the University of Maryland have demonstrated a continuously operating optical fiber made of thin air using auxiliary ultrashort laser pulses to sculpt fiber optic waveguides in the air itself. The air waveguide can be arbitrarily "unspooled" and directed at the speed of light in any direction, making it an exceptional candidate for directed energy. The waveguide method is straightforwardly scalable to 1 kilometer and longer, and the air waveguide is continuously maintained by heating and deepening the waveguide faster than the surrounding air can cool it, making continuous air waveguiding over kilometer and longer ranges easily achievable with existing laser technology and modest power levels.