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Cool experiments?

Proton

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Jun 13, 2019
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I have a blue laser with a power of about 1W. I have a youtube channel where I mainly make chemistry related videos but I wanna expand to lasers and whatnot as well. I want to do some cool experiments but I am pretty new to lasers. I am going to attempt to levitate particles with it but other than that I cant think of too many experiments I could do that i could make a video (at least 3 mins) out of. Any ideas?
 





anton

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Nov 2, 2016
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I thought I heard in a video that you can only leverage particles with a red laser.
 

Proton

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Jun 13, 2019
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I thought I heard in a video that you can only leverage particles with a red laser.
Nah, its just that a lot of hobbyist built lasers have bad specs, red lasers are easier to make more powerful for hobbyists so I guess it is a misconception, but I dont know if my laser is powerful enough, so I guess I will find out. If not then I'll buy/build a red laser as well!
 
Joined
Sep 20, 2013
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The best way to accomplish this is to focus your laser out just a few inches. About 2 or 3. Then try to add your particles in the beam's waist. That will be at the focal point. Their mass should be very low and air currents should be eliminated.
 
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Apr 2, 2009
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a DARK color balloon inside a 'clear' one--if done right, will pop before the outer one (use a condom).
Use the smallest black balloon you can find== it needs to 'tight' --you can make a black dot on any balloon w/a black sharpie marker..if you do not have a dark colored one..
 

MEDDER

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Dec 20, 2018
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Uncertainty principal, airy disks, what different types of lenses do both by themselves and in combination. You could also do fluorescence, I have a pair of orange shorts and shoes that glow orange'ish/yellow when hit with a 532nm laser. (I really need to find out what type of dye nike uses for their orange stuff).
 
Joined
Jun 3, 2007
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Find minerals that demonstrate phosphorescence. For examples using 405nm light: marble, Titanium Dioxide, gypsum. Marble glows orange and the other two glow a pale ghostly white.
Many items fluoresce too using 405 nm light.
I was very surprised to discover some brands of toothbrush bristles fluoresce a brilliant slighly bluish-white.
 
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Sep 20, 2013
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I was a rock hound back in the early 1960s and had a black light back then just for checking for fluorescence. I had many fluorescent minerals, then the late 60s came around and day glow posters were all the rage. Got a lot of use out of that black light.
 

MEDDER

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Dec 20, 2018
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After looking into it a bit, the wikipedia article on Optical Levitation gives some good info.

Like someone mentioned though, steady air is a very important requirement
 




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