HOW LASERS WORK

~ by Davin Flateau

Lasers come in many shapes and sizes, and perform a myriad of functions ranging from surgery to
video recording. In this document, we'll explain how laser light is produced, why it's so useful, and
some of its most common applications.
In 1917, Albert Einstein introduced the field of physics to the concept of the laser, which stands
for

Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation.

What's
So
Special
About
Laser light has several properties that, together, make lasers useful.

Laser

Light?

Laser
Light
is
Highly
Monochromatic
Light from the sun, or a light bulb, is generally seen as "white", and contains many wavelengths of
light (seen as different colors when white light is put through a prism). Laser light, on the other
hand, is generally monochromatic, meaning that it contains one specific wavelength of light. This
wavelength of light can be seen as one single, intense color (red, blue, green, or yellow, etc.,
depending on the laser) or invisible (ultraviolet or infrared). Lasers can, and do, produce more
than one color, but these colors are discrete individual wavelengths of light, as opposed to the
broad spectrum of sunlight or fluorescent light.
Laser
Light
is
Highly
Coherent
Laser light wavelengths can be thought of as "organized". The photons of laser light all "move in
step" with one another. Light from a light bulb, for instance, has wavelengths that are not nearly
as organized, with most photons' waves traveling chaotically and interfering with one another. It's
the coherent, organized property of laser light that makes it capable of delivering a high amount of
energy in a small beam. In the case of visible lasers, this makes the laser beam very bright and
intense.
Laser
Light
is
Highly
Directional
Because of the way laser light is produced (described below), beams of laser light are very small,
tight, and bright. Photons in a laser beam are traveling almost exactly parallel to each other. For
instance, if a flashlight and a laser beam were shone on a building across the street from your
home, the flashlight beam would appear several feet wide, while the laser beam would be only be
inches across.
Laser
Light
Can
Be
Sharply
Focused
Due to the laser light's parallelism, it can be focused very efficiently compared with other types of
light. Focused laser beams can deliver very high amounts of energy over a very tiny space.
How
does
it
work?
There are many ways to produce laser light. There are lasers that operate with gas, crystals, and
diodes; lasers can be as small as a pinhead, or be large enough fill an entire room. However, they
all operate on the same general principle. Light Amplification (generating more light) by the
Stimulated Emission of Radiation (by stimulating atoms with radiation -- that is, light). We'll
explain the operation of one common type of laser, the gas ion laser, that is used in science,
industry, as well as Laser Fantasy laser shows.
Gas
Ion
Lasers
Gas ion lasers use a tube filled with a gas. Often, this gas is a noble (or inert) gas (such as Neon,
Argon, or Krypton, or a combination of noble gases).
This tube is applied with a high voltage electric current, which travels down the length of the tube.
This discharge creates collisions between the electrons from the electricity, and the atoms of gas in
the laser tube.

The interaction between the electrons and the atoms of gas affects the gas atoms; the gas atoms
become ionized, and some gas ions that interact with more electrons are excited to a higher
energy state.
The atoms quickly return back to a lower state of energy, but in going from the excited state to a
lower energy state, a photon of light is generated. This is the general principle behind a neon light.
Lasers, however, go one step further.
The photon that is released can then interact with other atoms of gas. If the atom happens to be
excited, a second photon is generated when the atom returns to its "ground" state of energy. This
second photon is in every way identical to the original photon in direction, polarization and energy.
A "chain reaction" takes place, where photons continually collide with gas atoms, generating more
photons, and therefore more light. The direction of this light is random, with some photons going
up, down, and just about every way possible. To produce a single concentrated beam, a mirror is
placed at each end of the laser tube. Photons that happen to travel in the direction along the
mirrors will reflect back down to the other mirror, and so on. During these reflections, the photons
interact with more atoms in the process described above, creating more photons traveling between
the mirrors.
Soon, many atoms along the mirror axis are emitting light through this stimulated emission of
photons. All the while the electricity keeps the gas atoms primed, and ready to emit photons. The
light traveling between the mirrors (at the speed of light) can be thought of as an optical resonant
cavity that, like an organ pipe for sound waves, can be tuned to resonate one or more wavelengths
(or colors) of light.
One of the mirrors at one end of the laser tube is only partially reflective, letting a tiny part of the
laser light out. This tiny amount of light is the laser beam that can be used for scanning a bag
groceries, reading and writing audio and video to or from a CD, performing delicate surgery, and
much more.
Laser
Applications
Lasers themselves don't magically perform surgery, read compact discs, or weave laser light
concerts. Lasers only produce a unique source of light and energy for these various applications. A
variety of optics, mechanical motors, electronics and optical detectors, and good engineering
(people!) come together to produce all of these amazing feats with this unique light. Lasers are the
heart of these applications, making them possible. Here are just a few of the many users of lasers:
Laser
Surgery
The small, intense bright beam of a laser can be focused with lenses and other optics to provide a
point of energy intense enough to burn through living tissue. Because "laser scalpels" are so small,
they can very delicately reach difficult places. The burning action of laser surgery also instantly
clots the incision, reducing bleeding dramatically. Reattaching detached retinas and using fiber
optics to burn away ulcers in the stomach are just a couple of the medical uses of lasers. Lasers
used in surgery include Nd:YAG crystal lasers (Neodymium and yttrium aluminum garnet), argon
gas ion lasers, and excimer lasers.
Laser
Welding,
Cutting
&
Blasting
Once again, the laser's intense energy when focused makes it ideal for providing concentrated
welding and cutting. Laser cutting and welding can be extremely precise. Clothing manufacturers
can use lasers to cut precise fabric patterns. Laser welding can allow the easy welding of two
different kinds of metals and alloys, making the resulting product significantly stronger than other
techniques. Many car manufacturers use laser welding performed by industrial robots to assemble
vehicles.
Laser
Shows
The intense color of laser light has opened up a whole new world for laser artists to weave a new
kind of art. Laser shows are usually performed in planetarium domes, and set to music ranging
from new age to rock and roll. Laser shows generally use gas ion lasers, including Argon, KryptonArgon, and Helium-Neon lasers. Sets of high-speed vibrating mirrors called scanners move the
laser beams in different patterns. Abstract imagery or full-motion animation can be displayed in

laser shows. Colors can also be changed by using multi-wavelength lasers (such as Argons or
Krypton-Argons) and sending the laser through crystals which vibrate with sound waves (AOMs
Acousto-Optic Modulators), providing full-color imagery.
Power
Generation
Laser-powered fusion holds hope of generating tremendous amounts of electricity through the use
of lasers. Highly focused, powerful lasers "zap" tiny fuel pellets from all sides, triggering
thermonuclear fusion. In experiments at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, laser pulses
deliver close to 200 kJ (kilojoules) of energy to each pellet in less than a nanosecond. This single
pulse delivers approximately 2 X 10^14 W - about 100 times the world's installed electric power!
The feasibility of a working reactor is still the subject of ongoing research.
Information
Technology
Lasers are at the heart of some of the fastest methods of information transfer yet devised. Using
fiber optic bundles to carry them, modulated laser beams can transfer huge amounts of
information. The internet is just one information technology taking advantage of laser fiber optics.
In fact, the words you are reading now were most likely transferred most of the way to your
computer via lasers in this manner. Lasers in compact disc players and video discs players read
tiny reflections on CDs and laserdiscs to play back audio and video. Soon, your home may be fitted
with fiber optics to carry cable TV and phone service.