Laser

A LASER (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) is an optical source composed of a resonant optical cavity and a gain medium.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The resonant cavity contains a coherent beam of light

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

between reflective surfaces

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

so that each photon passes through the gain medium multiple times

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

before being emitted from the output aperture or lost to

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

diffraction or absorbtion.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The gain medium is a material of controlled purity, size, and shape,

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

which uses a quantum mechanical effect

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

called stimulated emission (discovered by Einstein while researching the photoelectric effect) to amplify the beam.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The output of a laser may be a continuous, constant-amplitude output (known as CW or continuous wave), or pulsed, by using the techniques of Q-switching, modelocking, or gain-switching. In pulsed operation, much higher peak powers can be achieved. A laser medium can also function as an optical amplifier when seeded with light from another source. The amplified signal can be very similar to the input signal in terms of wavelength, phase, and polarization; this is particularly important in optical communications. The verb "to lase" means "to produce coherent light" or possibly "to cut or otherwise treat with coherent light", and is a back-formation of the term laser.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Common light sources, such as the incandescent light bulb, emit photons in almost all directions, usually over a wide spectrum of wavelengths. Most light sources are also incoherent; i.e., there is no fixed phase relationship between the photons emitted by the light source. By contrast, a laser generally emits photons in a narrow, well-defined, polarized, coherent beam of near-monochromatic light, consisting of a single wavelength or hue.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Some types of lasers, such as dye lasers and vibronic solid-state lasers can produce light over a broad range of wavelengths; this property makes them suitable for the generation of extremely short pulses of light, on the order of a femtosecond (10-15 seconds). A great deal of quantum mechanics and thermodynamics theory can be applied to laser action (see laser science), though in fact many laser types were discovered by trial and error.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Coherent: REDIRECT coherence...

Light: Light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength that is visible to the eye (visible light) or, in a technical or scientific setting, electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength. The three basic dimensions of light (i.e., all electromagnetic radiation) are:...

Stimulated emission: In optics, stimulated emission is the process by which, when perturbed by a photon, matter may lose energy resulting in the creation of another photon. The perturbing photon is not destroyed in the process (cf. absorption), and the second photon is created with the same phase and frequency as the or...

Laser related Images and Photos (experimental)

Laser Moon	Laser Theater	Laser Star Projector	Lio Laser Cel
Lio Laser Cel	Laser Stars Projector	Laser Guided Scissors	Spy Laser Chase
Red Laser Pointer	Celtics Laser Tag	SpyNet Laser Trip Wire	Laser Kaleidoscope Projector