how does an argon laser work?

[mikeeey]

how would you describe an argon laser, and how does it work. Does it have multiple Diodes? does it use crystals? what gives it multiple colors?
would we ever be seeing Portable Argon Lasers?

 

[Razako]

wikipedia solves

 

[GooeyGus]

There are magical gnomes inside the head casting spells that put out the light we see. Not every gnome puts out the same color, which is why we get multi-lines

lol...

But seriously, its a mixture of argon and some other gasses inside of a beryllium tube with an anode and cathode. Basically, you just pump a whole bunch of electricity (around 10A at 100ish volts for a smaller argon) through the gasses, which causes them to ionize and emit light.

 

[SenKat_Stonetek]

Check out Sam's laser FAQ's - he answers all of that, and LOTS more ! He is human, too - he exists, and is a very nice person

 

[keeperx]

Sam is a documentation machine...