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| | Laser - Biocrawler (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05) |
 | | By contrast, a laser generally emits photons in a narrow, well-defined, polarized, coherent beam of near-monochromatic light, consisting of a single wavelength or hue. |
 | | An unforeseen discovery counter to expected and long-held laser properties, lasing without maintaining the medium excited into a population inversion, was discovered in sodium gas in 1992 and again in 1995 each in sodium and rubidium gas by various international teams. |
 | | Furthermore, science-fiction film special effects often depict weapon laser beams propagating at only a few feet per second—i.e., slowly enough to see their progress, in a manner reminiscent of conventional tracer ammunition—whereas in reality a laser beam travels at the speed of light, and would be instantly visible along its entire length. |
| www.biocrawler.com /biowiki/Laser (2226 words) |
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