Laser has become a much used word even amongst the common population and words like laser surgery is no more a novelty. It has moved from Laboratory to Practical Applications in various fields like medicine, food, engineering, etc. It is necessary for each and everyone to know more about laser, its properties, applications and possible hazards.

What is a laser?

   Laser stands for “Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation.” The first laser was built in 1960 by Theodore H. Maiman at Hughes Laboratories, based on theoretical work by Charles Hard Townes and Arthur Leonard Schawlow. One basic type of laser consists of a sealed tube, containing a pair of mirrors, and a laser medium that is excited by some form of energy to produce visible light, or invisible ultraviolet or infrared radiation.

   There are many different types of lasers and each uses a different type of laser medium. Common....