[Characteristics of laser light]

Laser is one of the greatest technical discoveries of the 20th century. It is important in basic sciences, but particularly in diagnosis and therapy of various pathologic conditions of human organism. It is electromagnetic radiation, not X-irradiation and, as such, it is not expected to produce new generation of iatrogenic malignancies. Laser falls between infrared and ultraviolet on the spectrum mainly in the visible light spectrum. Properties of laser light are: monochromacity (the same color), coherence (all of the light waves are in phase both spatially and temporally), collimation (all rays are parallel to each other and do not diverge significantly even over long distances). Lasers were first conceived by Einstein in 1917 when he wrote his "Zur Quantum Theorie der Strahlung" (the quantum theory of radiation) which enumerated concepts of stimulated and spontaneous emission and absorption. Drs. Arthur Schawlow and Charles Townes, in 1956, extended lasers into the optical frequency range and Maiman, in 1960, operated the first laser using ruby as the active medium (ruby laser). Laser is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. To understand the acronym, it is necessary to understand the basic physics of the atom. However, if the atom that is in the excited state is struck by another photon of energy before it returns to the ground state, two photons of equal frequency and energy, travelling in the same direction and in perfect spatial and temporal harmony, are produced. This phenomenon is termed stimulated emission of radiation. An external power source hyperexcites the atoms in the laser medium so that the number of atoms possessing upper energy levels exceeds the number of atoms in a power energy level, a condition termed a population inversion. This "pumping system" which imparts additional energy to the atoms may be optical, mechanical, or chemical. These atoms in a hyperexcited state spontaneously emit photons of light. The laser chamber or optical cavity contains an active lasing medium which usually determines the name of each laser. There are four types of lasing material commonly employed. Solid state lasers use a solid matrix material such as a ruby crystal. Gas lasers use a gas or mixture of gases such as helium, argon, and CO2. Dye lasers employ a complex organic dye in liquid solution or suspension such as rhodamine. Semiconductor lasers use two layers of semiconductor substances such as gallium arsenide.