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What is the full form of LASER?
LASER is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. It is a type of electromagnetic machine that emits light (Electromagnetic Radiation). The emitted lights are both coherent and weak. The method of optical amplification helps in the creation of LASER.
History of LASER
Though the first person to speak about LASER was Albert Einstein, but the one who created this system was Theodore H. Maiman. He developed it based on the concept given by Charles Hard Townes and Arthur Leonard Schawlow in 1960.
Working principle
A simple laser contains a chamber that reflects visible, infrared, or ultraviolet waves. This cavity (chamber) includes either liquids, solids, or gases and the material selection in the cavity helps decide the output wavelength. There are mirrors at either end of the cavity.
One of these is fully reflective and doesn’t allow any light to pass into them. The other is partly reflective and allows only 5% of the light to pass through. An external source pumps energy into the cavity through the method of pumping.
The mirrors reflect the waves back and forth and the reflected waves reinforce each other due to the length of the cavity. The electromagnetic waves emerge in harmony with one another at the end of the cavity, due to the partially reflective mirror. The laser output is a coherent, electric field and both the waves share the same phase and frequency in a coherent beam of electromagnetic energy.
LASER types
Following are the types of LASER based on wavelengths and applications.
- Gas LASER
- Semiconductor LASER
- Chemical LASER
- Liquid or Dye LASER
- Excimer LASER
Properties of LASER
There are four main properties of LASER:
- Superior Coherence
- Superior Monochromatism
- High Output
- Superior Directivity
Applications of LASER
We use LASER in:
- DVD, CD, and Barcode Scanners.
- Equipment concerning drilling, cutting, surface treatment, welding, and soldering.
- Medical devices like dental treatment devices and cosmetic treatment equipment.
- Laser printing devices.
- Military equipment (anti-missile devices) and Nuclear Fusion Reactors.
Advantages of LASER
- Helps transmit the information as it has an enormous capacity to support information.
- Since laser radiation is free of this interference, it is of great use in wireless communication systems.
- Low leakage of signals.
- Laser-based fiber optic wires are very lightweight.
- Helps in the diagnosis of cancers as it is less harmful as compared to X-rays.
- It can burn small tumors on the surface of the eye and on the surface of the tissue.
Disadvantages of LASER
- Expensive and hard to maintain.
- Laser equipment can increase the convolution and treatment period.