Tiny lasers from a gallery of whispers

Whispering gallery mode resonators rely on a phenomenon similar to an effect observed in circular galleries, and the same phenomenon applies to light. When light is stored in ring-shaped or spherical active resonators, the waves superimpose in such a way that it can result in laser light. Investigators now report a new type of dye-doped WGM micro-laser that produces light with tunable wavelengths.