CO₂ Laser in Operation!

Prof. Randall Peters, Ken Jones, and Kevin Harris have the CO₂ laser in the physics department lasing. The purple color in the tube is the plasma discharge. Although the beam itself is invisible, an intense white spot is apparent at the point on the brick where the laser beam strikes it. This is a result of the heating of the brick by the laser.

An experiment in photoacoustics is planned, using this laser.