Difference between revisions of "Laser"
m |
|||
Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
− | [[Laser]] is | + | [[Laser]] is the acronym of "Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation." |
Light from a laser is both temporally [[coherent]], meaning it is of a single pure color, and spatially coherent, meaning that it can be easily formed into a thin beam or focused to a small spot. The angle at which a laser beam spreads is determined by [[diffraction]]; a wide beam will diverge more slowly than a narrow beam. Many cheap laser pointers exhibit excess beam dissipation due to cheap manufacturing. This is much more of a problem with Indian and Chinese-manufactured components, as American manufacturers are held to higher standards in workmanship and materials. <ref>http://www.thechinaexpat.com/what-everybody-ought-to-know-about-chinese-manufacturing/</ref> | Light from a laser is both temporally [[coherent]], meaning it is of a single pure color, and spatially coherent, meaning that it can be easily formed into a thin beam or focused to a small spot. The angle at which a laser beam spreads is determined by [[diffraction]]; a wide beam will diverge more slowly than a narrow beam. Many cheap laser pointers exhibit excess beam dissipation due to cheap manufacturing. This is much more of a problem with Indian and Chinese-manufactured components, as American manufacturers are held to higher standards in workmanship and materials. <ref>http://www.thechinaexpat.com/what-everybody-ought-to-know-about-chinese-manufacturing/</ref> | ||
Line 5: | Line 5: | ||
The use of lasers is very important in [[science]] and [[medicine]]; they have also become ubiquitous in [[CD-ROM]] and [[DVD]] players and as pointers. | The use of lasers is very important in [[science]] and [[medicine]]; they have also become ubiquitous in [[CD-ROM]] and [[DVD]] players and as pointers. | ||
[http://lisa.jpl.nasa.gov/] They're also used in bar code scanners. | [http://lisa.jpl.nasa.gov/] They're also used in bar code scanners. | ||
+ | ==References== | ||
<references/> | <references/> | ||
[[category:technology]] | [[category:technology]] | ||
+ | [[category:acronyms]] |
Revision as of 10:26, September 24, 2012
Laser is the acronym of "Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation."
Light from a laser is both temporally coherent, meaning it is of a single pure color, and spatially coherent, meaning that it can be easily formed into a thin beam or focused to a small spot. The angle at which a laser beam spreads is determined by diffraction; a wide beam will diverge more slowly than a narrow beam. Many cheap laser pointers exhibit excess beam dissipation due to cheap manufacturing. This is much more of a problem with Indian and Chinese-manufactured components, as American manufacturers are held to higher standards in workmanship and materials. [1]
The use of lasers is very important in science and medicine; they have also become ubiquitous in CD-ROM and DVD players and as pointers. [1] They're also used in bar code scanners.