Recent content by magician

Ok, going to try again. Top lies we allow ourselves to believe: 1) Our party/our candidate. There are a few idealists that make it into power that may actually represent their electorate. I personally think this decreases as you move up in power. The few exceptions aside, they do not represent...

Not that I want to ruin anyone's fun here if this is how you bond, but I do have some observations. I'm going to assume those of you that are doing a 'flame war' here (did I just date myself?) are at least reasonably intelligent. After all, you've been using and building lasers for several years...

Properties of both (conductor and insulator). IIRC, you can 'flex' the properties of semiconductors by subjecting them to different conditions.

Thank you. I asked Google the wrong question at first, about how an electron that released a photo via stimulated emission got re-excited and got an answer that it was from absorbing a photon. That would net out. Asking Google better questions showed me that absorption of a photon is relatively...

OK, so I have a deeper understanding of the p- and n-type semiconductors and the active layer. I understand stimulated emission: basically a photon of the 'right' energy stripping an identical photon from an excited electron in the active layer. From there, confusion so far. It seems that once...

Oops. Getting the hang of the forum mechanics. I did some reading on laser types (gas, organic dye, semiconductor and solid state). I think I understand the concepts, but I don't really have a sense of scope. Kind of like seeing prices but not knowing the currency. I'll keep looking for...

I have a BSE in Chemical Engineering that I earned in 1998. Ironically, I placed out of the physics requirement, so my only true physics class was trig based and in high school ~1989-90. Math up through Diff Eq. that I haven't used (beyond algebra) since 1998. A Physical Chemistry class (quantum...

That's good question! I'm at the "don't know what I don't know" stage. I'm going to need some foundational electricity/electronics knowledge before I can build anything. I've been looking for a good, basic educational resource that covers theory and practical elements. Like a class with a...

Hello! I am in the odd position of being a (very) former engineer with absolutely no education in electronics. I'm trying to find a good starting point to learn, including underlying theory. I also think lasers are just plain cool. I would like to start working with them slowly and safely, and...