Laser applications

Laser is a widely using technique on scientific, medical, military and commercial

fields.
In science lasers are widely used in analytical and power generating
purposes. For example there inherit monochromatic and well defined wave length
can be used to investigate molecular concentration up to the order of part per
trillion using Raman spectroscopy techniques. Also the beam induced atomic
emission by lasers enables to investigate atomic properties using a technique
known as the laser induced break down spectroscopy. Lasers can be also use in the
purposes of ranging. Lasers were used to measure the distance between the earth
and the moon. This project was known as the Lunar Laser Ranging. Lasers were
targeted to arrays, which has been planted by Apollo astronauts, using terrestrial
telescopes. And measuring time to reflect the beam from moon to earth was and
the distance was measured.
The same technology was developed to use in various other ranging purposes
such as in archaeology, geography, seismology, forestry and remote sensing. This
method is known as LIDAR, light detection and ranging, a remote sensing
technology that can measure the distance to, or other properties of a target by
illuminating it with lasers.
Laser cooling is another recent development in scientific laser applications.
Lasers are using to obtain Bose Einstein condensation of matter. This was done by
slowing down atoms that is cooling down them, using high frequency laser pulses.
High pule rate of lasers are also using to initiate and analyze chemical reactions in
the field of photochemistry.
The required high energy to initiate the fusion can be theoretical gain from
high intensity laser pulses. They were proposed to target high energy lasers to
tritium and deuterium pellets to initiate the reaction. Since from this photon collision
with the nuclei generate sufficient energy required to raise the collision cross
section of the reaction. Still the theoretical possibility is covered from practical
drawbacks of the proposed technique.
In material processing lasers are used to clean, blend, cut and other
deformation techniques. That is because the high directionality of lasers makes high
accuracy on the operation. Laser microscopy is another development in the
scientific field. Lasers are using in confocal laser scanning microscopy and two
photon excitation microscopy. They enable to obtain blur free images of specimens
irrespective to the thickness of the specimen at various depths.
On the extreme scientific research fields lasers are using as high accuracy
measuring devices such as on interferometers and other sensitive optical

instruments like the instruments use to make optically flat mirrors for large
telescopes etc. lasers apply forces to some materials. This is known as single beam
gradient force trap. In this technology highly focused lasers are focused to
materials that provide an attractive or repulsive force depending on the refractive
index mismatch to physically hold and move microscopic dielectric objects.
This method is proposed to develop in the project space elevator, which a
platform pulled through a carbon Nano tube to the space using laser beam under
above repulsive force.
Other popular laser implementations are on the military purposes. The laser
applications on the military purposes have a wide variety from defensive to
assaulting. In defensive countermeasures lasers are use both in ranging and
destroying enemy war heads. Lasers are using to confuse seeking missiles (heat
seeking) and destroy them air born. There are high power boost phase intercept
laser systems use to track and destroy intercontinental ballistic missiles. The Mobile
Tactical High-Energy Laser (MTHEL) is another defensive laser system under
development; this is envisioned as a field-deployable weapon system able to track
incoming artillery projectiles and cruise missiles by radar and destroy them with a
powerful deuterium fluoride laser.
For the assaulting purposes lasers are using as direct war heads. But the
problem is that this war heads are too bulk to carry out to the battle field by a war
geared solder. But lasers are using as target designators in most common assault
rifles. A non-lethal laser weapon was developed by the U.S. Air Force to temporarily
impair an adversarys ability to fire a weapon or to otherwise threaten enemy
forces. This unit illuminates an opponent with harmless low-power laser light and
can have the effect of dazzling or disorienting the subject or causing him to flee. Not
only that, lasers are proposed to use as a blinding weapon, since it requires only a
low power lasers that are able to carried by a man, which is regulated under the
rules of war.
In medicine, lasers are widely using on surgical purposes. There high
directionality and high precision enables the surgeon to do very accurate and
sensitive surgeries. Cosmetic surgeries which are using in order to remove scares,
stretch marks, etc. and most developing method of surgery is the laser
implementation in the refractive surgeries. Lasers can be used to remove brain and
spinal tumors and are looking forward to fight with the cancers too. Lasers can be
directed exactly to the mutated cells and destroy them without making any damage
to neighboring tissues and cells. In the dentistry lasers are using in oral surgeries,
tooth whitening and caries removal as well.
Lasers have a higher industrial and commercial value too. Lasers made a high
impact to the telecommunication by introducing a high bandwidth and high speed
data rates using optical cables. Nowadays fiber optic communication is the most

widely using data transferring method where lasers are used as the light source that
carries data.
Lasers are using in the civil engineering purposes from measuring to building
constructions. Modern theodolites are armed with lasers enabling surveyors to do
very accurate measurements and avoid difficulties of measuring unreachable
terrains. There are other mapping techniques that can make 3 dimensional images
of the land topography making easy to develop three dimensional terrestrial maps
with a very low cost of both labor and money. In the building constructions lasers
are using as leveling devices and precise measuring instruments. Lasers are using
to cut weld and peen metals more easily and with good precision to a desired
shapes. They can be also use to bond additive marking materials for decoration and
identification.
In the electronic industry lasers play a major role on PCB fabrication. Laser
lithography is the common and most accurate yet much economic method of
fabricating PCBs and microchips. Laser engraving has the similar importance as the
lithography. Laser engraving enables to engrave or mark objects with high precision.
It is economical in the way that, it does not use any tool bits. So there is no need of
replacing bit heads and other parts that are directly depends on the writing
accuracy. Not only in the electronic industry they are using in other material
fabricating industries such as in automobile painting and polishing.
In navigation, lasers are using in gyroscopes. Ring laser gyroscope consists of
ring lasers and an optical system which uses the Sagnac effect and the interference
as the operational principles. This type of gyros are implemented in Airbus A320,
Boeing 777, F 15E Strike Eagle and various intercontinental ballistic missiles, which
recurring a higher navigational precision.
Domestically lasers are use as the form of laser pointers as indicators. They
are also using in barcode readers and in domestic printers and inside conventional
DVD ROMs to read and write data into the discs. Lasers are using also in
entertainment purposes such as laser shows, holography and 3D laser imaging such
as bubblegrams. Bubblegrams are 3D image composed of points suspended in a
medium, typically a plastic block using laser etching technology.
Minilab is one of the upcoming developments of lasers. Minilab is rescaled
photographic development and printing system as opposed to conventional large
developing labs. They use laser technologies to develop and print photographs with
competing quality to the conventional labs. Kodak, Agfa are the leading companies
of making such systems but they are not economic and the price of such a system
is around 250,000 U.S dollars.