I don't see a picture...:thinking:Here's a picture of a "flame laser" I found in newsletter from February 1966. Whodathunkit!
I hate computers. The mac Iphoto only lets you resize things to small, medium or large which is idiotic. therre's no way to resize easily.
...some of the most powerful lasers in the world are combustion-based, for example hydrogen fluoride lasers in the MIRACL lasers pumping out over a megawatt of continuous energy.
Don't blame "computers" for your problems just because you're using a Mac, and even then, you can find alternative software (even on a Mac!) for doing what you need.
As for "burning" lasers, some of the most powerful lasers in the world are combustion-based, for example hydrogen fluoride lasers in the MIRACL lasers pumping out over a megawatt of continuous energy.
Laser diodes have been with us since the '60s. Here's an ad from Laser Focus of January 1967, but GaAs was discovered to lase in '62 I think. Earliest commercially available diode laser was the Korad K-S1, announced in March 1964.
Thanks for the admonition about computers. I deserve it.
But "combustion" isn't what's happening with a chemical laser, is it? Where's the oxidizer? I've also found reference to a "water vapor" laser from the same time!