Nd:YAG laser

Nd:YAG (neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet; Nd:Y3Al5O12) is a crystal that is used as a lasing medium for solid-state lasers.

Then the light wave can run through the cavity, depopulating the excited laser medium at maximum population inversion.

In this Q-switched mode, output powers of 250 megawatts and pulse durations of 10 to 25 nanoseconds have been achieved.

[3] At low current densities krypton flashlamps have higher output in those bands than do the more common xenon lamps, which produce more light at around 900 nm.

A particular host material is chosen in order to obtain a desired combination of optical, mechanical, and thermal properties.

[citation needed] Nd:YAG lasers are used in ophthalmology to correct posterior capsular opacification,[6] after cataract surgery, for peripheral iridotomy in patients with chronic[7] and acute angle-closure glaucoma,[8] where it has largely superseded surgical iridectomy,[9] for the treatment of vitreous eye floaters,[10] for pan-retinal photocoagulation in the treatment of proliferative diabetic retinopathy,[11] and to damage the retina in ophthalmology animal research.

[13] They are also used to reduce benign thyroid nodules,[14] and to destroy primary and secondary malignant liver lesions.

[19] Recently Nd:YAG lasers have been used for treating dissecting cellulitis of the scalp, a rare skin disease.

[25] They have also been used for soft tissue surgeries in the oral cavity, such as gingivectomy,[26][27] periodontal sulcular debridement,[28] LANAP,[29] and pulpotomy.

The laser beam is focused down to a few millimeters in diameter to deposit gigawatts of power on the surface of a part.

Laser peening is widely used in gas-fired turbine engines in both aerospace and power generation to increase strength and improve resistance to damage and metal fatigue.

[35] Nd:YAG lasers can be used for flow visualization techniques in fluid dynamics (for example particle image velocimetry or laser-induced fluorescence).

The researchers say that such igniters could yield better performance and fuel economy, with fewer harmful emissions.

During the Iran–Iraq War, Iranian soldiers suffered more than 4000 cases of laser eye injury, caused by a variety of Iraqi sources including tank rangefinders.

Though the application by itself is fairly new with respect to conventional methods such as XRF or ICP, it has proven to be less time consuming and a cheaper option to test element concentrations.