Spark plugs have powered internal combustion engines for many years. Automakers are now one step closer to being able to replace this long-standing technology with laser igniters, which will enable cleaner, more efficient, and more economical vehicles. In the past, lasers strong enough to ignite an engine’s air-fuel mixtures were too large to fit under the hood of a car. Researchers from Japan have developed the first multibeam laser system small enough to screw into an engine’s cylinder head. Equally significant, the new laser system is made from ceramics, and could be produced inexpensively in large volumes, according to one… Login to continue

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