Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The beam of a single transverse mode (gaussian beam) laser eventually diverges at an angle that varies inversely with the beam diameter, as required by diffraction theory. Thus, the "pencil beam" directly generated by a common helium–neon laser would spread out to a size of perhaps 500 kilometers when shone on the Moon (from the distance of ...
The laser optics and CNC (computer numerical control) are used to direct the laser beam to the material. A commercial laser for cutting materials uses a motion control system to follow a CNC or G-code of the pattern to be cut onto the material. The focused laser beam is directed at the material, which then either melts, burns, vaporizes away ...
The latter is called the output coupler, because it allows some of the light to leave the cavity to produce the laser's output beam. Light from the medium, produced by spontaneous emission, is reflected by the mirrors back into the medium, where it may be amplified by stimulated emission. The light may reflect from the mirrors and thus pass ...
A lens must be used in order to form a collimated beam like that produced by a laser pointer. If a circular beam is required, then cylindrical lenses and other optics are used. For single-spatial-mode lasers, using symmetrical lenses, the collimated beam ends up being elliptical in shape, due to the difference in the vertical and lateral ...
Laser science or laser physics is a branch of optics that describes the theory and practice of lasers. [ 1 ] Laser science is principally concerned with quantum electronics , laser construction , optical cavity design, the physics of producing a population inversion in laser media , and the temporal evolution of the light field in the laser.
Optical vortices are studied by creating them in the lab in various ways. They can be generated directly in a laser, [2] [3] or a laser beam can be twisted into a vortex using any of several methods, such as computer-generated holograms, spiral-phase delay structures, or birefringent vortices in materials.
A ruby laser most often consists of a ruby rod that must be pumped with very high energy, usually from a flashtube, to achieve a population inversion.The rod is often placed between two mirrors, forming an optical cavity, which oscillate the light produced by the ruby's fluorescence, causing stimulated emission.
Laser types with distinct laser lines are shown above the wavelength bar, while below are shown lasers that can emit in a wavelength range. The height of the lines and bars gives an indication of the maximal power/pulse energy commercially available, while the color codifies the type of laser material (see the figure description for details).