Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Move Over Lasers, the Maser Era is About to Begin!
If we told the history of technology through fairy tales, then the MASER (Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) could well be Cinderella. You’ve probably never heard of a Maser even though it was first conceived in 1952 and predates its far more popular & literally shinier photonic stepsister, the Laser. For decades now the Maser has been buried in the cellar of history only allowed out to do some of the literally most mundane tasks imaginable. But that is about to change and the implications range from massive to mind-blowing.
Sophia Rose Long is part of a new wave of researchers bringing the Maser out of the lab and into the real world. Previously a scientific relic, the Maser is making a comeback thanks to breakthroughs in room-temperature, solid-state technology. In this talk, Sophia explains why Masers could play a critical role in everything from ultra-secure communications and quantum computing to deep space exploration. Expect a fascinating dive into science fiction morphing into reality.
Sophia Rose Long’s bio
Sophia Rose Long is a PhD researcher at Northumbria University, working to advance the frontier of microwave technology through her work on room-temperature solid-state Masers. Her research focuses on developing compact, energy-efficient Maser systems with extended signal duration, aiming to revolutionize applications in ultra-secure communications, quantum computing, and deep-space exploration.
Sophia's work builds upon the pioneering demonstration of the room-temperature solid-state maser by the Imperial College London team (Oxborrow, Breeze & Alford, Nature 2012), led by Professors Neil Alford and Mark Oxborrow. The organic crystal gain medium used in the Northumbria University experiments were fabricated at Imperial, and the collaboration with Imperial has been central in enabling this research. Dr. Juna Sathian, one of the founding researchers in the room-temperature maser field, is the Principal Investigator who established and leads the dedicated maser research programme at Northumbria University, where Sophia is completing her PhD under her supervision.
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Move Over Lasers, the Maser Era is About to Begin!
If we told the history of technology through fairy tales, then the MASER (Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) could well be Cinderella. You’ve probably never heard of a Maser even though it was first conceived in 1952 and predates its far more popular & literally shinier photonic stepsister, the Laser. For decades now the Maser has been buried in the cellar of history only allowed out to do some of the literally most mundane tasks imaginable. But that is about to change and the implications range from massive to mind-blowing.
Sophia Rose Long is part of a new wave of researchers bringing the Maser out of the lab and into the real world. Previously a scientific relic, the Maser is making a comeback thanks to breakthroughs in room-temperature, solid-state technology. In this talk, Sophia explains why Masers could play a critical role in everything from ultra-secure communications and quantum computing to deep space exploration. Expect a fascinating dive into science fiction morphing into reality.
Sophia Rose Long’s bio
Sophia Rose Long is a PhD researcher at Northumbria University, working to advance the frontier of microwave technology through her work on room-temperature solid-state Masers. Her research focuses on developing compact, energy-efficient Maser systems with extended signal duration, aiming to revolutionize applications in ultra-secure communications, quantum computing, and deep-space exploration.
Sophia's work builds upon the pioneering demonstration of the room-temperature solid-state maser by the Imperial College London team (Oxborrow, Breeze & Alford, Nature 2012), led by Professors Neil Alford and Mark Oxborrow. The organic crystal gain medium used in the Northumbria University experiments were fabricated at Imperial, and the collaboration with Imperial has been central in enabling this research. Dr. Juna Sathian, one of the founding researchers in the room-temperature maser field, is the Principal Investigator who established and leads the dedicated maser research programme at Northumbria University, where Sophia is completing her PhD under her supervision.
--
THINKING DIGITAL
Latest news: thinkingdigital.co.uk
LINKEDIN: linkedin.com/company/the-thinking-digital-conference
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/thinkingdigital
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/thinking_digital_conf
X: twitter.com/thinkingdigital
