14 Facts About Lasers

Lasers can have high temporal coherence, which allows them to emit light with a very narrow spectrum.

Lasers are used in optical disc drives, laser printers, barcode scanners, DNA sequencing instruments, fiber-optic and free-space optical communication, semiconducting chip manufacturing, laser surgery and skin treatments, cutting and welding materials, military and law enforcement devices for marking targets and measuring range and speed, and in laser lighting displays for entertainment.

Lasers are distinguished from other light sources by their coherence.

Lasers are characterized according to their wavelength in a vacuum.

Lasers are employed where light of the required spatial or temporal coherence can not be produced using simpler technologies.

Related searches

Lasers continued developing the idea, and filed a patent application in April 1959.

Lasers have many uses in medicine, including laser surgery, laser healing, kidney stone treatment, ophthalmoscopy, and cosmetic skin treatments such as acne treatment, cellulite and striae reduction, and hair removal.

Lasers are used to treat cancer by shrinking or destroying tumors or precancerous growths.

Lasers are more precise than traditional surgery methods and cause less damage, pain, bleeding, swelling, and scarring.

Lasers used by hobbyists are generally of class IIIa or IIIb, although some have made their own class IV types.

Lasers that produce a continuous beam or a series of short pulses can be compared on the basis of their average power.

Lasers that produce pulses can be characterized based on the peak power of each pulse.

Lasers are usually labeled with a safety class number, which identifies how dangerous the laser is:.

Lasers can be a hazard to both civil and military aviation, due to the potential to temporarily distract or blind pilots.