laser
Also known as light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation, lasers
thumb|upright=1.5|A telescope in the Very Large Telescope system producing four orange [[laser guide stars |alt=A telescope emitting four orange laser beams]]
AI overview
A laser is a device that produces an intense, focused beam of light by stimulating atoms or molecules to emit radiation in a coherent way. Lasers matter because they have practical applications across many fields—in this case, they're being used as guide stars to help telescopes see more clearly through the atmosphere.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Research
440,102 papers- Laser safety: the need for protocols.ReviewCutis · 2020Daggett C, Daggett A, McBurney E et al.DOI: 10.12788/cutis.0025
- Laser-Assisted Drug Delivery.ReviewActas dermo-sifiliograficas · 2018Alegre-Sánchez A, Jiménez-Gómez N, Boixeda PDOI: 10.1016/j.ad.2018.07.008
- Laser safety, warnings, and limits in retrograde intrarenal surgery.ReviewActas urologicas espanolas · 2024Corrales M, Panthier F, Solano C et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.acuroe.2023.06.009
- Laser in dermatology.ReviewClinical techniques in small animal practice · 2006Boord M
Article
42 sectionsContents
- Terminology
- Fundamentals
- Design
- Laser physics
- Stimulated emission
- Gain medium and cavity
- The light emitted
- Quantum vs. classical emission processes
- Modes of operation
- Continuous-wave operation
- Pulsed operation
- Q-switching
- Mode locking
- Pulsed pumping
- History
- Foundations
- Maser
- Recent innovations
- Types and operating principles
- Gas lasers
- Chemical lasers
- Excimer lasers
- Solid-state lasers
- Fiber lasers
- Photonic crystal lasers
- Semiconductor lasers
- Dye lasers
- Free-electron lasers
- Exotic media
- Natural lasers
- Uses
- In medicine
- As weapons
- Hobbies
- Examples by power
- Safety
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- Books
- Periodicals
- External links
thumb|upright=1.5|A telescope in the Very Large Telescope system producing four orange [[laser guide stars |alt=A telescope emitting four orange laser beams]]
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 originated as an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. The first laser was built in 1960 by Theodore Maiman at Hughes Research Laboratories, based on theoretical work by Charles H. Townes and Arthur Leonard Schawlow and the optical amplifier patented by Gordon Gould.