\▐lā-zәr\ n [light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation] (1960) Laser is an acronym coined from the bold-face letters in light application by stimulated emission of radiation. Early lasers were made of synthetic-ruby rod, silvered at one end face, semi-silvered at the other, and surrounded by a toroidal flashlamp. Today, the NdYAG (for neodymium-yttrium aluminum-garnet) laser, with higher productivity than the ruby laser, has taken over many of its jobs. Lasers have been useful in drilling, perforating, cutting, and welding operations with plastics and other materials. Medium-power CO2lasers are preferred for machining plastics because they produce light at a wavelength of 10.6 μm, which is completely absorbed by plastics. Lasers have been useful in the analysis of polymers by laser mass spectrometry, in initiating polymerizations, and in curing polymers. (Giambattista A, Richardson R, Richardson RC, Richardson B (2003) College physics. McGraw Hill...
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Gooch, J.W. (2011). Laser. In: Gooch, J.W. (eds) Encyclopedic Dictionary of Polymers. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6247-8_6785
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