A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation.

Nov 28, 2024 · An easy-to-understand explanation of how lasers work, with a simple diagram showing what's inside a laser.

May 24, 2025 · When you think of lasers, the mind might leap to sci-fi weapons, barcode scanners at supermarkets, or the pointer used during a professor’s lecture. But lasers are far more than just technological novelties or entertainment tools. They are the very embodiment of modern physics at work—elegant, powerful, and precise. From surgery rooms to fiber-optic cables, DVD …

A laser is created when electrons in the atoms in optical materials like glass, crystal, or gas absorb the energy from an electrical current or a light. That extra energy “excites” the electrons enough to move from a lower-energy orbit to a higher-energy orbit around the atom’s nucleus.

Jul 31, 2023 · But what is a laser? What makes a laser beam different from the beam of a flashlight? Specifically, what makes a laser light different from other kinds of light? How are lasers classified? In this article, you'll learn all about the different types of lasers, their different wavelengths and the uses to which we put them (like laser pointers).

A laser uses a pair of mirrors facing each other—an optical resonator—to build up the light energy in the beam. As light bounces back and forth between the mirrors, it passes through the laser material, increasing in intensity with each pass as more excited atoms emit additional photons.

Lasers are devices that concentrate beams of light by forcing their waveforms and frequencies to align. First developed in the 1960s to amplify microwaves, modern lasers technology can ramp …

Mar 29, 2024 · But what, exactly, are lasers, and how do they work? The word "laser" is actually an acronym; it stands for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation." Lasers work …

Lasers produce highly focused, single-wavelength light that powers applications from medical surgery to industrial cutting. By harnessing quantum mechanics and precise engineering, lasers generate coherent light—waves perfectly aligned, like a synchronized orchestra.

Although lasers range from quantum-dot to football-field size and utilize materials from free electrons to solids, the underlying operating principles are always the same. This article provides the basic information about how and why lasers work. Over 60 years have passed since the first demonstration of a laser in 1960.