Scientists have discovered that an ultra powerful laser can be used outside of a laboratory setting, having previously thought it was impossible.

The device, called a quantum cascade laser, provides highly-advanced imaging capabilities that can have an “immediate impact” in a wide range of applications, from detecting cancer cells, to identifying explosives, according to researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of Waterloo.

This type of laser was first invented in 2002, however adapting them to operate at temperatures above -75C proved so difficult that some scientists speculated that there was a fundamental physical reason preventing it. 

The researchers engineered an innovative custom-created structure to overcome these barriers and allowed them to function at temperatures that do not require laboratory equipment to cool.

“With a high operating temperature, we can finally put this in a compact portable system and take this breakthrough technology out of the laboratory,” said Qing Hu, a professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences at MIT.

“This will enable portable terahertz imaging and spectral systems that will have an immediate impact on wide-ranging applications in medicine, biochemistry, security, and other areas.”

The lasers measure only a few millimetres in length and are thinner than a human hair. Paired with a compact camera, they are now able to operate anywhere with a power outlet - using only a portable cooler to remain at the required operating temperature of around -23C.

Within a medical setting, the lasers could provide real-time imaging during skin-cancer screenings, or even during surgical procedures to excise skin cancer tissues.

Their ability to detect gases, drugs and explosives could also be used to locate contraband and explosives at airport security checks.

“Not only can we see objects through optically opaque materials, but we can also identify the substances," Professor Hu said.

A paper detailing the research was published in the scientific journal Nature Photonics on Monday.