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The active laser medium (also called a gain medium or lasing medium) is the source of optical gain within a laser. The gain results from the stimulated emission of photons through electronic or molecular transitions to a lower energy state from a higher energy state previously populated by a pump source. Examples of active laser media include:
Laser gain medium and type Operation wavelength(s) Pump source Applications and notes Semiconductor laser diode (general information) 0.4-20 μm, depending on active region material. Electrical current Telecommunications, holography, printing, weapons, machining, welding, pump sources for other lasers, high-beam headlights for automobiles. [10] GaN
Laser diodes are also frequently used to optically pump other lasers with high efficiency. The highest-power industrial laser diodes, with power of up to 20 kW, are used in industry for cutting and welding. [75] External-cavity semiconductor lasers have a semiconductor active medium in a larger cavity.
The gain medium is the major determining factor of the wavelength of operation, and other properties, of the laser. Gain media in different materials have linear spectra or wide spectra. Gain media with wide spectra allow tuning of the laser frequency.
Helium–neon laser at the University of Chemnitz, Germany. A helium–neon laser or He–Ne laser is a type of gas laser whose high energetic gain medium consists of a mixture of helium and neon (ratio between 5:1 and 20:1) at a total pressure of approximately 1 Torr (133 Pa) inside a small electrical discharge.
The ruby laser is a three level solid state laser. The active laser medium (laser gain/amplification medium) is a synthetic ruby rod that is energized through optical pumping, typically by a xenon flashtube. Ruby has very broad and powerful absorption bands in the visual spectrum, at 400 and 550 nm, and a very long fluorescence lifetime of 3 ...
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The Nd:YAG laser is the most common laser used in laser designators and laser rangefinders. During the Iran–Iraq War, Iranian soldiers suffered more than 4000 cases of laser eye injury, caused by a variety of Iraqi sources including tank rangefinders. The 1064 nm wavelength of Nd:YAG is thought to be particularly dangerous, as it is invisible ...