Laser

Name:
Laser
Detailed information:
A device that produces a beam of coherent or monochromatic light as a result of photon-stimulated emission. Such beams have extremely high energy, because they consist of a single wavelength and frequency. Laser is an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. Materials capable of producing this effect are certain high-purity crystals (ruby, yttrium garnet, and metallic tungstates or molybdates doped with rare-earth ions); semiconductors such as gallium arsenide, neodymium-doped glass; various gases, including carbon dioxide, helium, argon, and neon; and plasmas. A chemical laser is one in which the excitation energy is furnished by a chemical reaction, e.g., H + Cl₂ → HCl (active) + Cl; or combustion of carbon monoxide to form excited carbon dioxide.

Hazard:

Laser radiation can irreparably damage the eyes. Proper shielding is essential at all times.

Use:

Laser beams are used in industry for cutting diamonds that are used for wire-drawing dies, and in flash photolysis, spectroscopy, and photography. They also have developing applications in medicine and surgery. They are being used for controlled fusion reactions, for biomedical investigations, for organic chemical research, for sophisticated analytical techniques, and in three-dimensional photography (holography). It is possible to increase the abundance of certain isotopes of such elements as uranium, chlorine, and boron by use of laser irradiation. Research on uranium enrichment by this method has been under way for several years.

See Fusion; Enrichment; Holography.