A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification

based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The term "laser"

originated as an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radi
ation".[1][2] The first laser was built in 1960 by Theodore H. Maiman at Hughes
Laboratories, based on theoretical work by Charles Hard Townes and Arthur Leonar
d Schawlow. A laser differs from other sources of light in that it emits light c
oherently. Spatial coherence allows a laser to be focused to a tight spot, enabl
ing applications such as laser cutting and lithography. Spatial coherence also a
llows a laser beam to stay narrow over great distances (collimation), enabling a
pplications such as laser pointers. Lasers can also have high temporal coherence
, which allows them to emit light with a very narrow spectrum, i.e., they can em
it a single color of light. Temporal coherence can be used to produce pulses of
light as short as a femtosecond.
Among their many applications, lasers are used in optical disk drives, laser pri
nters, and barcode scanners; fiber-optic and free-space optical communication; l
aser surgery and skin treatments; cutting and welding materials; military and la
w enforcement devices for marking targets and measuring range and speed; and las
er lighting displays in entertainment.
Contents [hide]
1
Fundamentals
1.1
Terminology
2
Design
3
Laser physics
3.1
Stimulated emission
3.2
Gain medium and cavity
3.3
The light emitted
3.4
Quantum vs. classical emission processes
4
Continuous and pulsed modes of operation
4.1
Continuous wave operation
4.2
Pulsed operation
4.2.1 Q-switching
4.2.2 Mode-locking
4.2.3 Pulsed pumping
5
History
5.1
Foundations
5.2
Maser
5.3
Laser
5.4
Recent innovations
6
Types and operating principles
6.1
Gas lasers
6.1.1 Chemical lasers
6.1.2 Excimer lasers
6.2
Solid-state lasers
6.3
Fiber lasers
6.4
Photonic crystal lasers
6.5
Semiconductor lasers
6.6
Dye lasers
6.7
Free-electron lasers
6.8
Exotic media
7
Uses
7.1
Examples by power
7.2
Hobby uses
8
Safety
9
As weapons
10
See also
11
References
12
Further reading
13
External links

Fundamentals
Lasers are distinguished from other light sources by their coherence. Spatial co
herence is typically expressed through the output being a narrow beam, which is
diffraction-limited. Laser beams can be focused to very tiny spots, achieving a
very high irradiance, or they can have very low divergence in order to concentra
te their power at a great distance.
Temporal (or longitudinal) coherence implies a polarized wave at a single freque
ncy whose phase is correlated over a relatively great distance (the coherence le
ngth) along the beam.[3] A beam produced by a thermal or other incoherent light
source has an instantaneous amplitude and phase that vary randomly with respect
to time and position, thus having a short coherence length.
Lasers are characterized according to their wavelength in a vacuum. Most "single
wavelength" lasers actually produce radiation in several modes having slightly
differing frequencies (wavelengths), often not in a single polarization. Althoug
h temporal coherence implies monochromaticity, there are lasers that emit a broa
d spectrum of light or emit different wavelengths of light simultaneously. There
are some lasers that are not single spatial mode and consequently have light be
ams that diverge more than is required by the diffraction limit. However, all su
ch devices are classified as "lasers" based on their method of producing light,
i.e., stimulated emission. Lasers are employed in applications where light of th
e required spatial or temporal coherence could not be produced using simpler tec
hnologies.
Terminology
Laser beams in fog, reflected on a car windshield
The word laser started as an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emis
sion of radiation". In modern usage, the term "light" includes electromagnetic r
adiation of any frequency, not only visible light, hence the terms infrared lase
r, ultraviolet laser, X-ray laser, and so on. Because the microwave predecessor
of the laser, the maser, was developed first, devices of this sort operating at
microwave and radio frequencies are referred to as "masers" rather than "microwa
ve lasers" or "radio lasers". In the early technical literature, especially at B
ell Telephone Laboratories, the laser was called an optical maser; this term is
now obsolete.[4]
A laser that produces light by itself is technically an optical oscillator rathe
r than an optical amplifier as suggested by the acronym. It has been humorously
noted that the acronym LOSER, for "light oscillation by stimulated emission of r
adiation", would have been more correct.[5] With the widespread use of the origi
nal acronym as a common noun, optical amplifiers have come to be referred to as
"laser amplifiers", notwithstanding the apparent redundancy in that designation.
The back-formed verb to lase is frequently used in the field, meaning "to produc
e laser light,"[6] especially in reference to the gain medium of a laser; when a
laser is operating it is said to be "lasing." Further use of the words laser an
d maser in an extended sense, not referring to laser technology or devices, can
be seen in usages such as astrophysical maser and atom laser.
Design
Components of a typical laser:
1. Gain medium
2. Laser pumping energy
3. High reflector
4. Output coupler
5. Laser beam
File:Laser, quantum principle.ogv

Animation explaining the stimulated emission and the laser principle

Main article: Laser construction
A laser consists of a gain medium, a mechanism to energize it, and something to
provide optical feedback.[7] The gain medium is a material with properties that
allow it to amplify light by way of stimulated emission. Light of a specific wav
elength that passes through the gain medium is amplified (increases in power).
For the gain medium to amplify light, it needs to be supplied with energy in a p
rocess called pumping. The energy is typically supplied as an electric current o
r as light at a different wavelength. Pump light may be provided by a flash lamp
or by another laser.
The most common type of laser uses feedback from an optical cavity a pair of mirro
rs on either end of the gain medium. Light bounces back and forth between the mi
rrors, passing through the gain medium and being amplified each time. Typically
one of the two mirrors, the output coupler, is partially transparent. Some of th
e light escapes through this mirror. Depending on the design of the cavity (whet
her the mirrors are flat or curved), the light coming out of the laser may sprea
d out or form a narrow beam. In analogy to electronic oscillators, this device i
s sometimes called a laser oscillator.