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This thread is for the discussion of all things related to solid-state lasers. Solid State lasers are a class of laser utilizing paramagnetic ions, color centers, and organic dye molecules suspended within solid amorphous or crystalline materials as gain media. Although semiconductor lasers...

I was torn as to whether I should post this other section, poll section, or suggestion section, but I think that this is an appropriate place. I've been here for just over 2 years now. While that's practically nothing compared to the lifetime of the forum, it's long enough for me to have seen...

Every so often I look up various things on Googe Trends to see how relevant certain subject matters are just for the luls. For no reason, tonight I decided to look up "laserpointerforums": What. Why is there a massive spike for Jan 2017? What has recently happened that would create a surge...

Why do we determine light to be "polarized" by the plane of the electric field? Title pretty much says it all: why have we determined that the plane of the electric field of an electromagnetic wave should be the plane of polarization, rather than the plane of the magnetic field? Is it simply...

Or at least that's what I can make of it. Tunable lasing in cholesteric liquid crystal elastomers with accurate measurements of strain From what I can tell with my quick skim of the article is they're altering the physical structure of the medium, and thus tuning the wavelength. What are your...

So while messing around on my phone the other night I accidentally switched "invert colors" on. All the laser pictures on my phone looked strange and kinda cool, so I thought I'd share. :D Here's the beam of an argon through a tank of soap water: Some other misc argon pics: Some 594 nm...

Here's the story: Toy Laser Pointers Pose Risk To Eye Health: First Case Of Eye Damage Caused By Toy Reported In Germany So apparently he looked into the beam several times to try to figure out where it was coming from, which is what caused the damage. The pen was probably overspec, because at...

Hello once again my friends! I'm thinking about constructing an frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser, but before I begin I need to find goggles that protect against 532nm, 808nm, and 1064nm. I can find lots of goggles that protect against 2 of the 3, I assume because most goggles are distributed to...

Hello everyone, I have another (probably stupid) question for all of you. What is the cheapest way to get ~500 mJ at 532nm? There was a previous thread about ionizing air with this kind of thing, but that's not what I'm trying to do. There are skin care lasers that do ~400 mJ at 532...

Hellooo! I just got a PS for my yellow HeNe! Turned it on, and what do you know, the most beautiful yellow dot appeared on my wall! This is not my first gas laser, but it's the first HeNe I have ever turned on! Not really the way I would have liked to started, I would have preferred a bare...

Okay, I need help with HeNe power supplies. I have acquired a few HeNe tubes over time, whenever I see a great deal I'll buy them, planning on selling them later. However, my problem is, I've never even USED a HeNe Tube before, and I'm starting to build up quite a collection. Now while looking...

Alright, today I picked up my green HeNe, and the wonderful chorus of broken glass hitting the bottom of the housing filled the air. As all HeNe owners know, broken Glass inside the housing means your laser power will surly double, if not triple! Jokes aside, does anybody know how to get into...

Okay, I have been looking at eBay for cryocoolers for some time now, and just found these - RICOR Mini CryoCooler - for $550 (+$60 shipping). That may seem like a lot, but is fairly cheap for cryogenics. I guess if anyone is looking to study supercooled lasers, then here's something for you. :D

Okay, we all know it's pretty darn hard/expensive to change a laser's wavelength at room temp, but what about using a lithium heat pipe oven? I found this, but it doesn't go too in-depth. So I was wondering if anyone had any more information? I'm new to the actual physics behind lasers, so...

Hello, i was just wondering if it would be possible to modify a single-line argon laser and turn it into a multi-line laser? The way I understand it (and I may be hilariously wrong) is that single-lines have an internal prism that selects the wavelength before entering the plasma tube, whereas...

Hello LPF! I'm just another newbie joining the forum! I have been interested in lasers LONG before I created this account, and I have actually coming to the LPF with all of my laser related questions since mid 2012, but I have never actually made an account. I probably shouldn't have used my GT...