Lasers: The Technology and Uses of Crafted Light (Science and Technology in Focus)

177 Pages·2006·3.66 MB·English

by  Charlene W. Billings, John Tabak

L A S E R S
N E W E D I T I O N
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY IN FOCUS
L A S E R S
N E W E D I T I O N
The Technology and
Uses of Crafted Light
Charlene W. Billings
and
John Tabak, Ph.D.
LASERS: The Technology and Uses of Crafted Light, New Edition
Copyright © 2006, 1992 by Charlene W. Billings and Infobase Publishing
This is a new edition of LASERS: The New Technology of Light
Copyright © 1992 by Charlene W. Billings
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by
any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the
publisher. For information contact:
Facts On File, Inc.
An imprint of Infobase Publishing
132 West 31st Street
New York NY 10001
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Billings, Charlene W.
Lasers: the technology and uses of crafted light / Charlene W. Billings and John
Tabak.—New ed.
p. cm. — (Science & technology in focus)
Includes index.
New [rev.] ed. of: Lasers: the new technology of light. c1992.
Summary: Explains what lasers are and how they work and examines their various uses.
ISBN 0-8160-4784-7
1. Lasers—Juvenile literature. 2. Lasers. I. Tabak, John. II. Title. III. Series.
TA1682.B55 2006
621.36’6—dc22 2005033798
Facts On File books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk
quantities for businesses, associations, institutions, or sales promotions. Please call our
Special Sales Department in New York at [phone] or [phone].
You can find Facts On File on the World Wide Web at http://www.factsonfile.com
Text design by Erika K. Arroyo
Cover design by Nora Wertz
Illustrations by Richard Garratt
Printed in the United States of America
MP MSRF 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
To James Douglas, who has never
given me a piece of bad advice. Yet.
C O N T E N T S
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction xiii
1 The Nature of Light 1
The Wave Nature of Light 4
The Particle Nature of Light 11
2 The Nature of Laser Light 17
Monochromatic Light 19
Coherence 20
The Concept of Laser Power and Efficiency 26
3 Creating Laser Light 30
Stimulated Emission 31
The Laser Beam 34
The Ruby Laser 37
4 The Early History of Lasers 42
Who Invented the Laser? 45
A Great Variety of Lasers 50
5 Lasers and Medicine 56
Matching the Laser to the
Medical Application 57
Cutting Flesh 61
Eye Surgery 63
Tattoo Removal 68
6 Lasers in Industry 70
Matching the Laser to the
Industrial Application 71
Cutting Metal and Drilling Diamonds 75
Cutting Cloth 78
Laser Welding 80
7 Lasers in Communication 83
Bell’s Great Invention 85
Modulating the Laser 88
Fiber Optics 92
8 Reading and Writing with Lasers 96
UPCs 97
CDs and DVDs 101
Laser Printers 105
9 Lasers as Measurement Devices 108
Lasers as Surveying Tools 111
Lasers in Earth Science 114
Lasers in Astronomy 118
10 Holography, Art, and Science in
Three Dimensions 123
More on the Nature of Light 124
Creating a Hologram 127
Properties of Holograms 132
11 Illuminating the Invisible 136
Optical Microscopes and Lasers 138
Spectrometers 140
Prefixes 145
Glosary 147
Further Reading 151
World Wide Web Sites 153
Index 15