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The Laser Beam Has it's Birthday
By Neil Jones
A laser ray is a strong and narrow ray of light. The word ‘Laser’ is an acronym for ‘Light Amplification by Simulated Emission of Radiation’. A long and intense lawsuit lasting 28 years was fought between physicist Gordon Gould and Bell laboratories for the right to this term. Hughes Research Laboratories, Malibu, California is credited with the first use of the laser ray on 16th May, 50 years ago. Albert Einstein in his paper, “The Quantum Theory of Radiation” written as early as 1917 had outlined the basics for the laser beam which was later used by Theodore Maiman as a guide when he set about to build this beam. The basic principle involves the use of two mirrors at either end of a tube – one of which rebounds light energy while the other permits the passage of the light beam through it. This phenomenon was initially ridiculed by scientists as they saw no immediate foreseeable use for this advanced technology. Alexei Tolstoy the famous novelist first used the idea of a device similar to a laser in his science fiction novel “The Hyperboloid of Engineer Garin”. Gillette popular as the safety razor blades used in shaving was the first used units of measurement for measuring laser intensity which was decided by the number of safety razor blades that a beam could effectively pass through. A contradiction in itself, the laser beam in spite of being hotter than the sun, can be used to cool atoms when used in a combination with magnetic fields. Lasers are graded in 4 different levels with the highest grade of 4 being intense enough to inflict severe burns and can result in blindness. Laser beam has many uses and is used vastly in the medical field – the most popular use of which is witnessed by the dentists who use this beam for painless removal of rot in gums and teeth. Lasers are also popular in surgery and can effectively remove tattoo designs which are otherwise permanent in nature. They can also be used to replace the knife and scalpel in surgery. Another practical use of this includes easy derival of the DNA sequence with only a single molecule to work with. Eye defects can be cured with laser eye treatment granting many people freedom from spectacles and clarity in vision. Dr. Marguerite did the first laser eye surgery on an individual in the year 1987. The Q-switch Laser hair remover however did not catch on as there were concerns regarding the safety of its use and was forced to be withdrawn after just 3 years in the market. Laser beams since then have also entered the field of barcode scanners where the laser beams helped in scanning barcodes even from greater distances. 1969 saw the emergence of the laser printers introduced by Xerox. This brought upon a great transformation in the printing industry. Laser discs have also replaced traditional music records. Since 1982 the CD player has revolutionized the music industry. Today the laser beams reflecting on stage during concerts reflect the changing trend in the world of stage performances greatly attributing to the success of stage shows. And who can forget the green and red light sabres used by Luke Skywalker and the evil Darth Vader in the iconic film Star Wars which became a rage with all youngsters as the coolest weapon ever invented by the sci-fi world. Catering to the massive popularity of these ‘weapons’, toy guns using weak laser beams were marketed in 1979. The US army also made use of similar guns called the laser tags in their training campaigns. Lasers have their uses in traffic regulations as well, identifying speeding cars in an instant. Laser pointers introduced during the 80s as an effective pointer device during presentations have so risen in popularity that they only cost a dollar today in contrast with their first rates of 100 dollars for a single piece. The low cost have made these laser beams within the reach of everyone leading to misuse of this remarkable product. With their uses one must not forget the dangers of these beams that can cause damage to our delicate eyes as was witnessed by hundreds during a World cup match in 2008 when goalkeeper Lee Woon-Jae suffered injury from a laser beam pointed at him. Lidar – a combination of laser in radars are a much better tool in measuring distances of an object than the common radar. Astronauts in Apollo 11 used laser technology to measure the distance between the earth and moon giving almost accurate measurements with only a marginal error possibility measured as the width of a finger. Even today laser measurements are more precise than a nanometer. In 1967 the first laser guided bomb, Bolt -117 was introduced. Lasers are found in almost all self-fixing toolkits. They have found their way in almost all applications. Statistics for 2004 reveal a sale of more than 700 million diode lasers estimated at a total value of $3.2 billion mostly in DVD and CD players. Laser harp used by Jean Michel Jarre in 1988 is yet another example of the popularity of laser in music instruments. Lasers are used in automatic milking processes where they act as a guide to the robot milking machines. The fashion industry use laser technology to cut through huge volume of materials. This revolutionary technology also aids in faster comparison of fingerprints stored in huge databases. Cable TV and phones also make use of lasers. Laser technology is used to understand the animal and natural world around us. It helps in understanding specific animal traits and determining certain phenomena without having to physically verify it e.g. identifying the temperature of an object without actual contact, determining how sharks manage to swim rapidly. Today further research in the uses of laser technology also includes deriving ways of using this beam to deflect lightning strikes from airports and power stations. California is home to a major experiment involving fusion power source using around 192 laser beams – the results of which are expected around the summer months. The defense industry is also joining the laser technology with the US army and navy trying ways of devising new powerful weapons that can also be light to carry. The use of laser seems to have invaded almost all fields from toys to weapons, medical field to fashion world, music world to the digital world. In the medical field they are popular with orthopedic surgeons, cosmetic surgeons and are also used extensively in fat reducing techniques via liposuction. Laser beams can also be used to control and manipulate objects. Lasers can be used to safely mark serial numbers on diamonds. This goes to show there is no field where the benefits of laser technology cannot be applied. |
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I found this intel most informative and accurate. I need to give you 5*s. Keep it up .. I look forward to reading more.
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This intel was contributed by ntjones
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May, 2012
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