University of St Andrews - A curious glow about silicon

Researchers at the University of St Andrews have discovered that the material that fuels the microelectronics industry - silicon - can emit green light. It is hoped that the discovery could lead to new methods for monitoring the signal quality of internet connections. Thomas Krauss, one of the physicists behind the discovery, said: "The main significance really is scientific curiosity; silicon strongly absorbs green light, so seeing it emit such light is really quite remarkable. Apart from being excited about observing such a fascinating interplay between a number of physical effects, we are now considering possible applications in all-optical signal processing."