Application of lasers

The word "laser" is so firmly embedded in our lives that perhaps every adult in the world knows about these devices. The use of lasers has become familiar and almost everyday. It is used in many spheres of human activity .

American physicists working in the renowned laboratory of. Lorentz, claim that they managed to reproduce an unprecedented ray of magnitude. The laser power is 500 trillion watts and 1.85 mega joules of ultraviolet radiation. The invented beam has a value of only 2 mm in diameter, but its power is greater than that of all power-consuming devices in America working simultaneously. The laser temperature is 100 million degrees, and this is more than in the center of the main energy source - the Sun.

What is a laser? This is the source of electromagnetic radiation, which is based on the forced emission of molecules and atoms. It includes visible, infrared and ultraviolet ranges, characterized by a very high radiation direction, which is its unique ability.

The use of lasers is diverse. It is used in such spheres of human life as medicine, biology, military industry, location and communication, storage of information, measurement of space distances, projection television, high technologies and much more. Scientists today have a laser with monochromatic light of any wavelength. This can be continuous radiation with a narrow spectrum or an ultra-short pulse.

The following types of lasers are known:

- gas;

- solid state;

- liquid.

In a variable pulse mode, a ruby laser operates , but in gas the main working substance, of course, is gas. Its atoms receive a pulse from an electrical discharge.

There are semiconductor lasers, which belong to devices of continuous action. The energy of the radiation is taken in them from the electric current. Also there are gas-dynamic lasers. They are very powerful, have the same name, are characterized by continuous action. Their principle of operation is based on the process of cooling supersonic gas streams.

The known types of lasers are divided into several types depending on what substance they work on: dyes, gas, metal vapors or semiconductors.

Original modern astronomers use a laser and get an amazing result. They determined the exact distance to the moon-moon, and they used a ruby laser and corner reflectors for this bold experiment. From the Earth's surface, scientists sent a focused laser with a telescope. By the time spent on the way to the moon and back, the exact distance was determined.

In medicine, the use of lasers is incredibly wide. With their help, people are given the opportunity to live a full life. An example can be the operations performed on the retina of the eye, during which instead of a scalpel, doctors use the same laser. In addition, this source of electromagnetic radiation is used to treat serious bone injuries, as well as in surgical interventions, when a connection of broken muscle tissue is required.

Biologists using laser tweezers have gained new opportunities in the field of protein research. Laser magnetization is widely used, as well as cooling of molecules when ultra-low temperatures are needed. It is known to use lasers in thermonuclear fusion, surface treatment, heat treatment and quenching of metals, and, in addition, in the production of modern weapons. For example, in 2009, an American company, Northrop Grumman, created a solid-state electric laser whose power was 100 kW. The development was intended to combat air and ground targets in the defense of the country.