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Uses of lasers
At the time of their invention in 1960, lasers were called "a
solution looking for a problem". Since then, they have become
ubiquitous, finding utility in thousands of highly varied applications
in every section of modern society from vision correction to guidance
for transportation and spacecraft to thermonuclear fusion. They
have been widely regarded as one of the most influential technological
achievements of the 20th century.
The exceptional utility which lasers have found in
scientific, industrial and commercial applications stems from their
coherency, high monochromaticity, capability for reaching extremely
high powers, or a confluence of these factors. For instance, a laser
beam's coherence potentially allows it to be focused down to its
diffraction limit, which at visible wavelengths corresponds to only
a few hundred nanometers. This property is what allows a laser to
record gigabytes of information in the microscopic pits of a DVD.
It is also what allows a laser of modest power to be focused to
very high intensities and used for cutting, burning or even vaporizing
materials. For example, a frequency doubled neodymium yttrium aluminum
garnet (Nd:YAG) laser emitting 532 nanometer (green) light at 10
watts output power is theoretically capable of achieving an intensity
of megawatts per square centimeter. In reality however, perfect
focusing of a beam to its diffraction limit is very difficult. See:
Laser applications for more information.
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