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A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word laser is an anacronym that originated as an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.
- Spontaneous emission is a random process, whereas stimulated emission produces photons with identical properties. Einstein predicted that excited atoms also could convert stored energy into light by a process called stimulated emission.
- In the prototypical gas laser, the gain medium has a long, thin cylindrical shape. The cavity is defined by two mirrors. One is partially reflecting and allows the output beam to escape.
- Laser light differs from conventional light in that all the lightwaves are in phase with each other. Brightness (or, more correctly, radiance)— The most strikingly visible difference between lasers and conventional light sources is that all the emitted light travels in the same direction as an intense beam.
- A resonant cavity supports only modes that meet the resonance condition, Nλ = 2 × cavity length. The output of a CW laser is defined by the overlap of the gain bandwidth and these resonant cavity modes.
Jun 20, 2024 · laser, a device that stimulates atoms or molecules to emit light at particular wavelengths and amplifies that light, typically producing a very narrow beam of radiation. The emission generally covers an extremely limited range of visible, infrared, or ultraviolet wavelengths.
A laser is created when electrons in the atoms in optical materials like glass, crystal, or gas absorb the energy from an electrical current or a light. That extra energy “excites” the electrons enough to move from a lower-energy orbit to a higher-energy orbit around the atom’s nucleus.
Jul 31, 2023 · Lasers are used in dental drills, eye surgery, tattoo removal, and (of course) laser pointers. Learn how different lasers generate such concentrated light.
Sep 9, 2023 · Solid-state lasers produce high-powered beams, typically in very brief pulses. Gas lasers, by contrast, produce continuous bright beams using compounds of noble gases (in what are called excimer lasers) or carbon dioxide (CO 2) as their medium, pumped by electricity.
Lasers are designed to produce and amplify this stimulated form of light into intense and focused beams. The word laser was coined as an acronym for Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation.
