As I write this, I’m sitting in the offices of Hashrocket in Jacksonville, Fl, looking at the ocean and balancing a cappuccino on my laptop. It actually makes it difficult to type, but I digress. This post has nothing to do with Florida or the ocean or cappuccino; I’m just boasting.
This post is the first in a series that covers something that has been in the front of my mind for several years now: lasers. I’ll pause a moment for you to get all of the movie references/jokes about sharks out of your system.
…
Ok. Lasers are used all over the place: medicine, communications, measurement, meteorology, astronomy, data storage, pointing. The list goes on. But, to paraphrase Jerry Hathaway in Real Genius (watch it right now), “the [laser]. What does it look like?”
Lasers come in many forms, but all have three common ingredients: a power source, gain, and feedback. Each of these will be covered in future posts in more detail. This post is just here to introduce the specimen of study.
My friend and colleague, Mike, had this beauty collecting some dust at his desk.
1980 Gammex He-Ne Laser
It is a functional helium-neon laser manufactured by Gammex, Inc. with its original laser tube. It’s nearly as old as I am.
The Nameplate on the Back End
The Warning on the Business End
After removing the four mismatched screws from the nigh indestructible steel housing, the functional innards are revealed.
Laser Unboxed
Clearly, this is relatively simple and sparse; for comparison, open the hood of your car or crack open your mobile sometime. This simplicity makes this laser the perfect candidate for a practical explanation of the three ingredients. Remember: power source, gain, feedback.
Stay tuned. There’s much more to come when I return from the beach. Here’s one parting glamour shot:
"It's coherent light." Which doesn't mean it talks. (Really, watch Real Genius.)
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