A Nanolaser, also referred to as a miniature laser or plasmonic laser, is a laser, namely a light amplifier by stimulated emission of radiation, that has nanoscale dimensions. While the word nano originates from Greek νᾶνος (=dwarf), the international system of units has adapted the prefix as a quantifier equal to 10−9. The nanolaser concept was developed by Mark Stockman at Georgia State University in 2003.
This tiny laser can be modulated quickly and, combined with its small footprint, makes it an ideal candidate for on-chip optical computing. The intense optical fields of such a nanolaser also enables the enhancement effect in non-linear optics or surface-enhanced-raman-scattering (SERS)[1], and therefore paves way towards integrated nanophotonic circuitry.[2]