Lasers

Sarah Cornia

Sarah Cornia
April 23, 2015
Demars
PHYS 1010
Lasers
The beginning of lasers or light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation, started
just as many other scientific discoveries did, with Albert Einstein when he theorized about the
process of stimulated emission. Then the first successful laser was built in 1960 by Theodore H.
Maiman at the Hughes Aircraft Research Laboratory in Palo Alto, California (Kircher). From
there lasers have become more advanced and are very helpful tools in business, entertainment,
industrial, medical, and military industries.
Lasers work through optical amplification, unlike light from the sun, flames or flashlights
where the atoms emit their light randomly and in different directions, the atoms in a laser beam
are coordinated and have synchronized, same size wavelengths (Smith). This is why lasers are
more powerful than flashlights, the atoms are more focused and travel in the same direction.
Synchronizing the light from billions of atoms is a difficult task and this is where Einsteins
stimulated emission comes in. When an atom absorbs light energy also known as a photon, an
electron in the atom is brought up from a lower energy level to a higher one. Later on, the
electron will spontaneously fall back down to the lower energy level it was at before, in this
process it will emit a photon of light. If a photon of the right energy level strikes the atom while
the electron is still in the higher energy level or excited state, the photon cannot be absorbed but
it does cause the electron to drop and a photon to be emitted, it would then join the first photon

in a synchronized wavelength. These synchronized photons will continue the process by striking
other atoms and causing other photons to be emitted, synchronized and strike other atoms. Soon
enough the number of synchronized photons has grown exponentially and a laser beam is born.
For this effect to happen only molecules with longer excited states can be used, some of these
materials include; carbon dioxide, argon, a mixture of helium and neon and solid crystals, such
as a clear ruby rod. The laser beam then reflects back and forth between two mirrors, some laser
energy is able to escape and becomes the laser beam that we see (Kircher).
Using this process, different types of lasers have been created and many new
technologies to go with them. Some laser technologies have changed everyday life, the bar code
scanner revolutionized shopping in every supermarket and shopping mall. Watching movies and
listening to music is an easier experience thanks to lasers that read the data storage on DVDs,
Blue-rays and CDs. Entertaining a crowd is taken to the next level with laser light displays, the
beams can be used to draw images on walls, ceilings, or even theatrical smoke. The image can
then be reflected from mirrors to produce laser sculptures (Wulffson).
Medical procedures have also been advanced by the development of lasers. The very first
medical use of a laser was for surgery on a retina of the eye, in 1963. Lasers are often used in eye
surgeries, they can be used to burn away extra blood vessels in the eye that cause blindness. They
are also used to correct vison problems such as near-sightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism,
this is known as laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis or LASIK which is the most commonly
performed surgery in the United States (Kircher).
Eye surgeries are not the only medical application for lasers though, to the relief of many
patients lasers can be used to break a part kidney stones in the kidneys, ureter or gallbladder.
Medical lasers are used to assist surgeons during operations to control bleeding, they are used to

heat and seal surrounding capillaries and cauterize ulcers in the stomach, intestines and colon.
Dermatology lasers of varying colors are used to clear patients complexions of birthmarks and
tattoos. Studies and experiments continue to be conducted and it is the hope of researchers that
one day soon lasers will be used in the fight against cancer (Wulffson).
The military also uses laser technologies including laser guidance systems which guide
projectiles to their targets. These systems can be as simple as a laser sight on a rifle to the more
complex guidance of a missile or bomb. Commonly, a technique referred to as semi-active laser
homing, SALH, is employed. With SALH, the laser beam is kept pointed at the target after the
projectile is launched, and as the missile approaches the target, heat sensors home in on its
energy. Lasers are also used to confuse incoming enemy, heat-seeking missiles the lasers cause
the missiles to intercept them instead of their intended target. Other defensive applications
include a complex system of lasers that can locate, track, and destroy intercontinental ballistic
missiles (Wulffson).
Recently, in September 2014 the Navy released information on a new and fully functional
laser weapon, LaWS. Rear Adm. Matthew L. Klunder, chief of naval research, had this to say
about the new technology, "Laser weapons are powerful, affordable and will play a vital role in
the future of naval combat operations. We ran this particular weapon, a prototype, through some
extremely tough paces, and it locked on and destroyed the targets we designated with nearinstantaneous lethality."(Lendon) The laser will be used to take down drones, helicopters, and
patrol boats. LaWS is safer than the other conventional weapons because it doesnt use
propellants or explosive warheads. LaWS is also very cost-effective, pricing less than a dollar
per shot (Lendon). When compared to a Javelin AAWS-M, another military weapon used to take

out helicopters and small boats that costs $153,000 for a single missile, the dollar amount
difference is huge. (Balle)
A laser can be as homely as a CD player, as ostentatious as a Taylor Swift concert, as
miraculous as a lifesaving surgery and as fatal as a shot down helicopter. Lasers are one of the
most amazing and versatile inventions of all time. The range of uses for lasers is long and it
continues to grow.

Balle, Joakim. "Javelin AAWS-M." AeroWeb. Barr Group Aerospace, 8 Dec. 2014. Web. 20 Apr.
2015.
Lendon, Brad. "Navy: New Laser Weapon Works, Ready for Action." CNN. CNN, 11 Dec. 2014.
Web. 20 Apr. 2015.
Kircher C, Graetzer H. Laser use in surgery. Magills Medical Guide (Online Edition). January
2013: Research Starters, Ipswich, MA. Accessed April 22, 2015.
Smith, Roger. "Lasers." Salem Press Encyclopedia of Science (2015): Research Starters. Web. 22
Apr. 2015.
Wulffson, Robin L., MD, FACOG. "Laser Technologies." Salem Press Encyclopedia of Science
(2015): Research Starters. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.