helium–neon laser

E706446

The helium–neon laser is a type of gas laser, commonly emitting visible red light at 632.8 nm, widely used for alignment, holography, and educational demonstrations due to its stable, low-power coherent beam.

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Predicate Object
instanceOf gas laser
laser
commonApplication barcode scanning
educational demonstrations
holography
interferometry
laboratory metrology
optical alignment
optical experiments in teaching labs
developedInDecade 1960s
emitsColor red
emitsLightType coherent light
monochromatic light
visible light
emitsWavelength 632.8 nm
energyTransferFrom helium atoms
energyTransferTo neon atoms
feature air-cooled operation
excellent pointing stability
good spatial coherence
good temporal coherence
high beam quality
high reliability
long coherence length
long lifetime
narrow linewidth
often single longitudinal mode
relatively low cost
simple construction
single transverse mode operation
gasPressure low pressure
operatingMode continuous wave
pumpMechanism electric discharge
requiresComponent discharge tube
high-voltage power supply
mirrors
optical resonator
safetyClass often Class II
often Class IIIa
transitionMedium neon atoms
typicalHeNeGasRatio about 5:1 helium to neon
helium-rich mixture
typicalOutputPower low power
typicalOutputPowerRange 0.5 mW to 50 mW
typicalTubeMaterial glass
usedIn industrial alignment systems
optical research setups
university laboratories
usesGainMedium helium gas
neon gas

Referenced by (2)

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Ali Javan invention helium–neon laser
Ali Javan notableWork helium–neon laser