Webcams offer a low-cost way to tune lasers for serious science
Tuesday, December 4, 2012 - 04:31
in Physics & Chemistry
Every photon in a laser beam marches in lockstep, at an identical wavelength that depends on what the laser is used for – for example, infrared lasers that drive the optic fiber internet. For many applications, lasers need to be precisely tuned to those wavelengths, and the wavelength-measuring instruments can be more expensive than the lasers themselves.