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- Mar 27, 2008
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Thought you guys might find this interesting. Yesterday in the lab at school we got to play around with a Lumonics TEA-203 CO2 laser. It's has been somewhat modified so we could put in our own gas mix at various pressures to examine the effects of the E/P ratio of TEA laser. Anyways, this laser fires pulses up to six joules each at a speed of about 1 Hz maximum. Now, this isn't really very impressive normally because the beam is about 1.5 inches in diameter, but when a focusing optic is placed into the beam, the power is so great that it actually turns the air into a plasma at the focal point. It looks like a spark in midair along with a LOUD snap. Videos below:
Here is the laser firing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N-mz0krcmk
Here is the laser firing into a piece of paper
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqBIHXQEQ4U
I was actually a part of the first lab group to use this laser since it was repaired. So remember, you saw it here first!
EDIT: Some pictures. That's me firing the laser in the background of the second one And the last one caught a burst of microsecond flames that the burn paper emitted when the laser hit.
Here is the laser firing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N-mz0krcmk
Here is the laser firing into a piece of paper
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqBIHXQEQ4U
I was actually a part of the first lab group to use this laser since it was repaired. So remember, you saw it here first!
EDIT: Some pictures. That's me firing the laser in the background of the second one And the last one caught a burst of microsecond flames that the burn paper emitted when the laser hit.