The word LASER is an acronym for “Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation”. As the name suggests, in lasers, the light is amplified with the help of a process called “Stimulated emission” Thus, the laser is based on the principle of stimulated emission.

In other words, it is a device to produce a monochromatic beam, a highly intense and coherent beam of light. The theoretical basis for the development of laser was provided by great scientist Albert Einstein in 1917 when he predicted the possibility of stimulated emission of radiations.

Therefore laser has the following properties:

1. Highly monochromatic: Monochromatic means that laser has a single wavelength as “mono means single” and “chromatic means color or wavelength”.

2. Highly directional

3. Coherent

Coherence is again of two types;

1. Temporal coherence (also known as longitudinal coherence)

2. Spatial coherence (also known as transverse coherence)

The lasers can be a solid laser or gas laser or dye laser or even semiconductor laser. Ruby laser was the first laser to be operated successfully. If you want to understand how a laser works,  then you can go through the articles related to the construction of a ruby laser and the working of the ruby laser.

The first successful gas laser was the helium-neon laser. The construction of a helium-neon laser and the working of a helium-neon laser is already explained.

If You have any doubt regarding the laser, please post in the comment section.