Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Sam's Laser FAQ

The homepage of "Sam's Laser FAQ" looks on the first moment very old and strange but actually, it is a real treasure about lasers. Sam's Laser FAQ exist already since 1994 by Samuel M. Goldwasser and is updated until today. One has to understand this page as "a practical guide to lasers for experimenters and hobbyists". It is a huge page and the navigation is a bit unusual but nevertheless it is worth to spend some time on it. Have a look on the "comprehensive table of contents". There are tons of chapters and sections as well as many many pictures, covering the scope from different types of lasers to possible experiments to do by oneself. Actually, there is a certain change that you find your laser which you uses in the lab and how you can repair it ;). What is missing on the page is a section about pulsed lasers, especially fs or ps laser as well as amplifications schemes. However, Sam's Laser FAQ addresses mainly hobbiest and for them it is a true treasure... and many hearts of scientists will jump faster if they see the pictures ;).

ps: check out the laser equipment gallery