LASERS

Laser (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation). Lasers are devices that amplify light and produce coherent light beams, ranging from infrared to ultraviolet. A light beam is coherent when its waves, or photons, propagate in step with one another. Laser light can be made extremely intense, highly directional, and very pure in color (frequency). Laser devices now have extend into the X-ray frequency range. The lasers harness atoms to store and emit light in …

…y President Ronald Reagan in 1983. The ability of tunable dye lasers to excite selectively an atom or molecule may open up more efficient ways to separate isotopes for construction of nuclear weapons . Because the eye focuses laser light as it does other light, the chief danger in working with lasers is eye damage. Therefore, laser light should not be viewed either directly or reflected. Lasers should be used only by trained personnel wearing protective goggles.