RP Photonics logo
VL logo part of the
Virtual
Library

The Photonics Spotlight

Beams of Laser Pointers: Visible in Air?

Ref.: encyclopedia articles on laser pointers, laser beams; Wikipedia article on Luminosity function

I have two laser pointers: a small red one, and a larger green one (see the figure).

laser pointer

Figure 1: A green-emitting laser pointer, containing a tiny diode-pumped frequency-doubled solid-state laser.

When I take the green laser and shoot into the night sky, I very clearly see the beam in the air over a large distance. When I do that with the red laser, however, hardly anything is seen.

There are three reasons for that remarkable difference:

In combination, one should expect that the visible brightness of the scattered light from the green laser is much larger than for red light. And this perfectly fits to the experimental experience!

This article is a posting of the Photonics Spotlight, authored by Dr. Rüdiger Paschotta. You may link to this page, because its location is permanent. See also the Encyclopedia of Laser Physics and Technology.


How do you rate this article?

Your general impression: don't know poor satisfactory good excellent
rate more details
Technical quality: don't know poor satisfactory good excellent
Usefulness: don't know poor satisfactory good excellent
Readability: don't know poor satisfactory good excellent
Comments:

If you want a response, you may leave your e-mail address in the comments field, or directly send an e-mail.


cover of print encyclopedia

The Encyclopedia of Laser Physics and Technology is also available in the form of a two-volume book. Maybe you would enjoy reading it also in that form! The print version has a carefully designed layout and can be considered a must-have for any institute library, laser research group, or laser company.

You may order the print version via Wiley-VCH.

arrow

This encyclopedia is provided by
RP Photonics Consulting GmbH.

You can get technical consulting from the author, Dr. Rüdiger Paschotta.

Onefive logo

Onefive

Low-noise
femtosecond,
picosecond,
and tunable single-frequency lasers for OEM and R&D applications.

RP Fiber Power 2.0

RP Fiber Power

This software is a powerful tool for designing fiber amplifiers and fiber lasers.
See the comprehensive description!

In-House Staff Training

e.g. on fiber lasers, diode-pumped lasers, etc.: tailored courses will boost the effectiveness of your team!

A.L.S. logo

A.L.S. GmbH

Picosecond laser diodes
<30 ps, 375 – 1600 nm, >1 Wp, single shot – 120 MHz

Your Advertisement at This Place

will be seen by many thousands of visitors per month. These banners receive far over 100'000 page hits per month. Check the details.