How Lasers Work: The Basics

Lasers (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) have been around for quite awhile now and most people have had the experience of playing with one, even if it has only been a cheap laser pointer you buy at the dollar store. People are always wondering how lasers work. They wonder how such a small item can produce such a powerful light that keeps its composure so well.

The first thing to understand about laser light is that it is only one color. White light has many different colors in it. How does this help? Because when white light hits an object, all those different colors bend in different amounts. Because lasers only have one color in them, the light all bends the same amount when it hits an object. This is what helps to keep the laser lights composure.

So how do you make it only produce one color? Lasers are full of electrons. Whenever you energize an electron more than normal, the electron expands and gives off excess energy. When that excess energy leaks out, it produces a color of light. So, all you do is over-energize a bunch of the right electrons and you have a lot of light that is all one color. Sweet huh!

Once you know this, you can take a material with the right electrons on it and point a powerful light right at it. The electrons in that material will absorb the light and send one color of light right back out, laser light! You can do this with certain mirrors and lenses. This is basically how lasers work.

Although this has only given a basic description of how some kinds of lasers are made, it still is fun to know the basic idea behind such a brilliant piece of technology. Lasers benefit us in so many ways that it can never hurt to know how they work.