2010: A Laser Odyssey

Short presentation about lasers

by the Université Laval OSA and SPIE Student Chapters

In science fiction, lasers are powerful weapons

In everyday life, lasers have many uses

• Laser hair removal

• Laser pointers

• CD/DVD players

• Barcode readers

• Micro-fabrication

• Medical treatments

What is light composed of?

• Light can be seen as photonsof many colors

What is light composed of?

• Light can also be seen as wavesof different lengths

In nature, there are different kinds of waves

• Water waves • Sound waves• Light waves (electromagnetic

waves)

Most of the light waves are invisible

LASER

LASER is an acronym

ightmplification by thetimulatedmission ofadiation

A laser emits photons of the same color, travelling in the same direction

Directional and monochromatic light

A laser has three parts

The gain medium

The pumping system

The resonant cavity

Lasers consist of a gain medium, a resonant cavity and a pumping system

Gain mediumMaterial in which photons are produced

Pumping systemSystem that provoques the emission of radiation

Resonant cavity (2 mirrors)Cavity in which the light rays bounce back and forth and are amplified

There are many different kinds of gain media

Crystal Gas Optical fiber

The gain medium, in which the light rays are produced, could be:

=

• a flash• another laser• electricity

Pumping can be done in different ways

The resonant cavity consists of two mirrors

One mirror reflects all light

And all this happens at the speed of light:1 080 000 000 km/h!

The other one reflects partially

The mirrors are placed at each end of the gain

medium

May 16th, 2010: 50th anniversary of the invention of thefirst laser by Theodore

Maiman

First laser: Ruby laser built by Maiman

Maiman and the 1st working laser

Publicity photo

Thank you for your attention!

Please contact us if you have any questions

www.repol.copl.ulaval.ca