Science fair

[ultimatekaiser]

That's what he meant. An argon runs at 4-10 amps. It fryeth thy operator easy. And a hene.is safe as long as you don't touch the anode while charged/running.

 

[BShanahan14rulz]

HeNe for transparency, can show parts, point them out, see the plasma. HeNe out of teh box is often enclosed in a metal enclosure, though :-/ Upside is that they rarely come in powers high enough to burn or damage anything without some external lenses. You can then focus on other interesting properties of lasers. You could set up a single slit setup, or an interferometer or something cool like that. No danger involved!

TEA N2 laser, high voltage dangers, but very simple laser that you build yourself. Downside, no cavity mirrors, so not the best teaching aid. Also, loud, can produce ozone, produces UV radiation.

 

[DoctorEvil]

I think that perhaps a cavity mirror setup deal would be a good idea the variable of location/distance and then the output effect, the type of laser to use would be the next question, and again it would be necessary to locate some equipment. I believe there is a spectrometer I could find at school but laser power meter would be the unknown. I think that it would be best for it to be a visible laser so that brings in a frequency doubler unless there is a better source. Also if gas laser, since is power by electricity is okay, then would it be better to use flashlamp or pumping laser to power it? Again depends on item. What would be the best to show and explain?

 

[ultimatekaiser]

Also if gas laser, since is power by electricity is okay, then would it be better to use flashlamp or pumping laser to power it? Again depends on item. What would be the best to show and explain?

This statement scares me.

 

[DoctorEvil]

Yea sorry that does not sound right. I meant to say that a gas laser is obviously powered by electrical discharge. A solidstate laser is not. Is it better to use flash/arclamp or diode pumping. I get that the are perks to each but which would be best in your opinion. I messed up and mixed up what I was trying to say, please don't judge me);

 

[ultimatekaiser]

a pulsed solid state laser is dangerous and definitely not a beginner's laser (speaking with experience) ...but getting over that fact, diodes are generally better if you can afford them for most general cases, they're smaller, lower power and cooler and thus more efficient, allowing for longer run times. Flashlamps have a few advantages, but as a general whole...diode arrays are better if you have good alignment. aligning PSS YAG lasers is difficult though to say the least, and I'd discourage this as an idea, as they're very unforgiving. they blind and scald instantly, and many components can't be touched with your bare hands, high voltages are present, and the optics have to be absolutely pristine at all times, and if they're even slightly misaligned, you can even blow holes in the mirror coatings on the first try.

 

[DoctorEvil]

That sounds good.
Would it be better to be pulsed or cw or quasicw?

 

[TheDukeAnumber1]

Get some 532nm lasers, take them apart and setup a nice display of them in action. From this point your nearly limitless on what you can make your project about. Current regulation, mechanics of the diode, optics, frequency changing in the crystal, light interference, ect.... Plenty to fill some poster board. Inexpensive and practical.

 

[AJ_Dual]

The issue though is he is entering into a SCIENCE fair, it's not an ENGINEERING or TECHNOLOGY fair.

Not the same thing. We need to help DoctorEvil come up with a hypothesis, and then a method to test it.





Now, with the nominal state of the education system these days (as it was when I was in it in the 70's, 80's and first year of the 90's) if you just have enough whiz-bang flim-flam and display knowledge, but no actual hypothesis, experimentation, observation, controls, and results, sometimes you still just a squeal of approval from the teachers.

However, I've seen it where the kid with the worst backboard, and the sloppiest presentation, and the most boring subject got the best grade, because he at least had a testable hypothesis.

 

[DoctorEvil]

Thanks ah that is exactly my point/problem.

 

[BShanahan14rulz]

Well, what are some interesting myths or urban legends about lasers? You can attempt to prove or disprove it. You don't want to get so scientific that you bore your classmates and teacher.

 

[DoctorEvil]

I highly doubt that they will be bored due to that.