Whether you’re losing your mind at a Pink Floyd tribute show or playing with your cat, there’s hardly a situation that wouldn’t be made better with a few lasers. “Optical masers” were first described by physicist Charles Townes in the late ’50s and since then they’ve come to define modern life. They’re used to scan groceries at the checkout, read DVDs, guide missiles, perform surgery, and even to produce nuclear fusion.
We see them everywhere and take them for granted. The video in this article sort of explains how they work.
Focus light between mirrors to produce a nice strong beam of a single color.
Easy. Right.
See the video @ How Lasers Work, According to the World's Top Expert