5 Common Things To All Lasers

In the early 1970s a man came to Aransas Pass, Texas and set up a presentation in the high school auditorium and all the grades from at least 5th to 12th were let out of normal classes to attend this presentation. We were being introduced to this new technology, that as the man presenting said, "Is a phenomenal invention that has no current use in any commercial way" but he assured us all that eventually someone would find a use for it. One problem at that time was that it was to big and bulky.

I'm not sure when these issues were solved or if they were resolved for the specific purpose of creating a toy but every time I use a laser light to entertain my cats, I think about that school day in which I first heard of a "laser", which is an acronym for, Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.

And I'm sure that 1970s  gentleman spelled that acronym out for us all but I didn't remember it. That would be something I would be tested on in 1988, when I was in Electronics/Computer tech school, Phoenix, AZ.

Lasers are now very common in our lives, somebody did figure out a commercial use for the technology, several uses. And although there are serval types of lasers, they all share five basic components.

The basic components of a laser are:

• Gain medium: This is the material that produces the laser light. It can be a solid, liquid, or gas, and it is typically doped with an impurity that gives it the ability to amplify light.

• Pump source: This is the source of energy that excites the gain medium. It can be a flashlamp, a laser diode, or an electric current.

• Optical resonator: This is a cavity that reflects the laser light back into the gain medium, allowing it to be amplified further. It is typically made up of two mirrors, one of which is highly reflective and the other of which is partially reflective.

• Output coupler: This is a mirror that allows a portion of the laser light to escape from the optical resonator.

In addition to these basic components, some lasers may also have other features, such as:

• Cooling system: This is necessary for some lasers, especially high-power lasers, to prevent the gain medium from overheating.

• Beam expander: This is used to widen the laser beam.

• Focusing optics: This is used to focus the laser beam.

The specific components of a laser will vary depending on the type of laser and its application. However, the basic components listed above are essential for all lasers.