Applications of laser technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Applications of laser technology - Essay Example This device has undergone centuries of modifications and up gradations to receive its current state. The term laser is actually an acronym, meaning (L) Light (A) Amplification by (S) Stimulated (E) Emission of (R) Radiation. It is a device which emits light with certain properties that makes it so important for various processes. It stimulates light, which is part of the natural electromagnetic spectrum. The light emitted by a laser device has certain properties which differentiates it from normal light emissions. The light emitted by a laser is monochromatic, that is its wavelength is extremely pure and coherent as well. The light waves emitted by the device are all in a single phase and diverge to a negligible extent. When the beam is focused on a particular point, it exceeds the brightness of the sun thus allowing it to be applicable in several significant procedures. It has taken several procedures and advancements for laser devices to reach their current status. The first actual laser was developed by a well renowned scientist Theodor Maiman who worked at the Hughes Research Laboratory. The first laser he developed was only a level 3 laser developed by a Ruby rod silvered at both ends. However, the working principles had already been derived by Albert Einstein centuries ago with the help of Plank’s laws of radiation. The working principles had been further upgraded by scientists such as Charles H. Townes who had developed a predecessor of Lasers, known as Masers which were developed by Microwaves (Galvana, 2002, p.286). With the development of lasers through time, it has been updated into several hundreds of forms. The various significant types of lasers mainly include diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) lasers, helium neon lasers, air cooled ion lasers, and semi-conductor diode lasers etc. have gained particular significance in recent years of scientific development. The application of these lasers is the biggest aspect to be considered. Medical Applic ations of Lasers Due to further development of science and the adjustment of lasers according to the requirement of the procedure, scientists have put lasers in use of many vital medical processes. Due to its precise, pure and accurate nature surgeries have become even further accurate and authentic. There are several procedures that include lasers as the most vital part of the entire process. The application of laser in medical processes has provided a special breakthrough in the field of optics. LASIK is an extremely important procedure that has been developed for the correction of a person’s cornea in order to cure his eye sight. LASIK stands for Laser in Situ Keratomileusis and has become one of the most renowned processes in modern times. This medical procedure basically consists of three steps. Firstly, the measurement of the cornea is noted which will be extremely important in reshaping the cornea via laser. Then the patient is sedated and his eye lids are held still w ith the help of a scalpel. Then with the help of the laser, which has a high pulse to pulse stability and intensity, the cornea is changed back to its stable shape. Recent advancements have been made which reduces the chance of any error due to eye movement by the reduction of the time required for the procedure (Thyagarajan and Ghatak, 2010, p.471). The use of lasers has also proved extremely vital in case of