1 00:00:01,480 --> 00:00:18,440 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you should know, a production of IHEARTRADIOW. 2 00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:14,360 Speaker 2: And welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh, and there's Chuck 3 00:00:14,440 --> 00:00:17,759 Speaker 2: and Jerry's here too. And she was making too many 4 00:00:17,840 --> 00:00:20,000 Speaker 2: laser noises, so we asked her to please go on 5 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:22,599 Speaker 2: you because she did, and I assume she's still making 6 00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:24,680 Speaker 2: laser noises. We just can't hear right now. 7 00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:26,360 Speaker 1: You have a little attitude about it. 8 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:30,800 Speaker 2: Too, she did. I mean, I was really mean and kurt, 9 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:32,760 Speaker 2: but she didn't have to be that way back. 10 00:00:33,159 --> 00:00:37,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, this is a one way street, right, it's. 11 00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:38,720 Speaker 2: My way or the highway. 12 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:43,040 Speaker 1: You know, it's about time we did an episode on lasers. 13 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:47,120 Speaker 1: This seems like something that we would have tackled in 14 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:51,560 Speaker 1: those first formative in that first formative decade, and. 15 00:00:51,479 --> 00:00:53,280 Speaker 2: I'm glad we didn't because I think it's good to 16 00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:59,120 Speaker 2: still do like a traditional you know, how X works episode, 17 00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:03,000 Speaker 2: we should do one, And how X works it depends 18 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:04,840 Speaker 2: on what kind of X you're talking about. 19 00:01:05,640 --> 00:01:07,880 Speaker 1: Ruby used to give us an X when she was little, 20 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:10,000 Speaker 1: when she was like two years old. If she didn't 21 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:12,560 Speaker 1: like something, she would do her fingers as an X. 22 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:15,280 Speaker 2: And she just keeps getting cooler and cooler. 23 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:17,200 Speaker 1: She forgot that she lost that one along the way. 24 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:18,759 Speaker 1: I told her to bring that back. 25 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:19,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a good one. 26 00:01:19,959 --> 00:01:20,760 Speaker 1: Uncle Josh likes it. 27 00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:23,479 Speaker 2: That's like talk to the hand, but way better. 28 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:24,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, exactly. 29 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:30,120 Speaker 2: All right, So we're talking lasers today, not necessarily X. 30 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:34,440 Speaker 2: Maybe we will do X someday. Let's find out, okay, 31 00:01:34,440 --> 00:01:36,360 Speaker 2: And everybody knows what a laser is, right. 32 00:01:36,800 --> 00:01:38,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean I feel like it's one of the 33 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:41,200 Speaker 1: more like one of those acronyms like scuba that you 34 00:01:41,319 --> 00:01:45,000 Speaker 1: learn when you're like on the playground. M hm. So 35 00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:50,040 Speaker 1: in this case, it stands for light amplification by stimulated 36 00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:53,440 Speaker 1: emission of radiation. And now that I know what a 37 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:55,640 Speaker 1: laser is and how it works, they kind of nailed 38 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:57,480 Speaker 1: it with that acronym they did. 39 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:00,320 Speaker 2: You you can totally forgive them for the B and 40 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:03,320 Speaker 2: the of because that's a world class acronym. 41 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:10,120 Speaker 1: Yeah, that would be lab sere if they included those 42 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:11,400 Speaker 1: lasers so much cooler. 43 00:02:12,160 --> 00:02:14,720 Speaker 2: Lab se or doesn't. It doesn't have that same ring 44 00:02:14,760 --> 00:02:15,760 Speaker 2: to it as laser. 45 00:02:15,880 --> 00:02:17,560 Speaker 1: Throw me the lab se or gun. 46 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:24,560 Speaker 2: That someone would say. No. So, lasers are everywhere everybody, 47 00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:26,560 Speaker 2: They're all around you. A lot of them are pointed 48 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:29,720 Speaker 2: at you right now, you just can't see them. But 49 00:02:30,440 --> 00:02:33,920 Speaker 2: like a UPC code scanner at a supermarket checkout. They 50 00:02:33,919 --> 00:02:37,760 Speaker 2: still have supermarkets, right, Oh yeah, that's right. Everyone goes 51 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:40,160 Speaker 2: in and empties all of their bank accounts into them 52 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:43,720 Speaker 2: every week to get suesstenates. Well, when you check out, 53 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:48,960 Speaker 2: boo boo boop like that, that's actually a laser being triggered. 54 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:53,079 Speaker 2: You're scanning your UPC code. So lasers are everywhere. They're 55 00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:56,280 Speaker 2: at the supermarket. At least, that doesn't necessarily mean you 56 00:02:56,360 --> 00:02:58,960 Speaker 2: understand them. I didn't understand them until we started to 57 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:01,120 Speaker 2: research this, did you know. 58 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:04,480 Speaker 1: And it's really not that hard to wrap your head around. 59 00:03:04,520 --> 00:03:07,120 Speaker 1: Actually I was kind of dreading this. But Dave did 60 00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:09,000 Speaker 1: a great job with this article, sort of like you 61 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:12,720 Speaker 1: here in the traditional sense, like you said, yep, And 62 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:15,440 Speaker 1: he does a good job initially by sort of laying 63 00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:18,320 Speaker 1: the groundwork of regular light compared to a laser light. 64 00:03:18,919 --> 00:03:20,560 Speaker 1: And I think that's a great way to start. 65 00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:23,120 Speaker 2: Well, yeah, if we're going to talk about lasers, we 66 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:25,240 Speaker 2: really I mean, we're talking about light. We kind of 67 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:27,800 Speaker 2: need to go back a couple of steps and say, okay, 68 00:03:27,919 --> 00:03:30,679 Speaker 2: there's different kinds of light, you know, like the light 69 00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:33,560 Speaker 2: we think of as sunlight or a light bulb or 70 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:36,360 Speaker 2: something like that, what we would call generally white light 71 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:40,280 Speaker 2: is as a lot of people know, all of the 72 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:43,840 Speaker 2: colors of the spectrum, the visible light spectrum together coming 73 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:45,839 Speaker 2: together to form white light. 74 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:50,320 Speaker 1: That's right, many different wavelengths. But just like you know, 75 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:53,440 Speaker 1: elementary school science, when you get that prism and your 76 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:55,680 Speaker 1: little mind is blown, it's still kind of blows my mind. 77 00:03:55,680 --> 00:04:00,600 Speaker 1: You scatter that light into its different wavelengths and it's 78 00:04:00,680 --> 00:04:02,960 Speaker 1: the colors of the rainbow there. But and this is 79 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:05,360 Speaker 1: something that like I don't think I even realize this, 80 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:09,320 Speaker 1: even those different wavelengths, it's not a single wavelengths. It's 81 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:14,000 Speaker 1: still a spectrum of different wavelengths creating the red or 82 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:16,599 Speaker 1: the blue or the yellow or whatever. And that's kind 83 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:21,840 Speaker 1: of where we find ourselves, you know, departing in what 84 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:23,120 Speaker 1: a laser ends at being. 85 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:27,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, because so for example, the yellow band, what we 86 00:04:27,560 --> 00:04:31,159 Speaker 2: see is yellow, and the visible spectrum occupies the five 87 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:35,200 Speaker 2: hundred and seventy nanimeter to five hundred and ninety nanimeter range. 88 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:37,400 Speaker 2: You show up below that, I think you've got what 89 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:41,240 Speaker 2: red orange, something like that. ROYGBIV, Yeah, I can't remember 90 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:46,880 Speaker 2: above that you've got blue Green, roy g Green, and 91 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:50,680 Speaker 2: those just have different wave links. They're all electromagnetic light. 92 00:04:51,160 --> 00:04:53,280 Speaker 2: It's the same thing as a microwave. It's the same 93 00:04:53,279 --> 00:04:54,960 Speaker 2: thing as a radio wave. It's the same thing as 94 00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:58,760 Speaker 2: a gamma ray. It's just the different frequencies make them 95 00:04:58,839 --> 00:05:03,920 Speaker 2: different kinds of energy what we call the visible spectrum. 96 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:07,440 Speaker 2: The point is is within all those different nanometer wavelengths, 97 00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:09,960 Speaker 2: say from five to seventy to five ninety, there's different 98 00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:13,560 Speaker 2: kinds of yellow. There's different shades of yellow right in 99 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:16,799 Speaker 2: there across that the spectrum within the spectrum, I guess. 100 00:05:16,920 --> 00:05:20,559 Speaker 1: Yeah, spectrum within the spectrum. Also a great album title. 101 00:05:21,680 --> 00:05:24,280 Speaker 2: That is a great album title, Jeszisch. Maybe you could 102 00:05:24,279 --> 00:05:27,119 Speaker 2: have like a prism with a beam of light coming 103 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:29,320 Speaker 2: in and then a rainbow coming out the other side. 104 00:05:29,480 --> 00:05:31,279 Speaker 1: Yeah, this is nineteen sixties for sure. 105 00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:34,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, pyramid even is a prism. 106 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:38,040 Speaker 1: Yeah. With Isaac Kay's's head floating above it. 107 00:05:38,960 --> 00:05:41,640 Speaker 2: I'm describing the Dark Side of the Moon album cover. 108 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:42,880 Speaker 1: I know it's just kidding. 109 00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:45,560 Speaker 2: Okay, well you were really throwing me off, you were. 110 00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:47,320 Speaker 2: That was some meta joking right there. 111 00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:49,480 Speaker 1: I have a great pressing of Dark Side of the 112 00:05:49,480 --> 00:05:52,760 Speaker 1: Moon by the way you do. Yeah, you know, I 113 00:05:52,920 --> 00:05:54,560 Speaker 1: had a record press or a guy who does that 114 00:05:54,640 --> 00:05:56,440 Speaker 1: for a living. I was hanging out with him in 115 00:05:56,440 --> 00:05:58,520 Speaker 1: New York with our friend Joey Ciara and these two 116 00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:01,320 Speaker 1: guys who did that, and he said, yeah, some pressings 117 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:03,000 Speaker 1: like it's done by a human, so you might have 118 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:06,080 Speaker 1: some records that just sound really awesome because it was 119 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:08,599 Speaker 1: well done. And I was like yeah, and they're you know, 120 00:06:08,640 --> 00:06:10,640 Speaker 1: one hundred and eighty gram. He was like, that's all bunk, 121 00:06:10,720 --> 00:06:13,520 Speaker 1: by the way. He's like, it just makes you feel 122 00:06:13,520 --> 00:06:15,159 Speaker 1: better that it's heavier, and I was like, oh man, 123 00:06:15,240 --> 00:06:16,040 Speaker 1: that's disappointing. 124 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:19,599 Speaker 2: I do like the heft of a eighty gram. 125 00:06:19,920 --> 00:06:22,200 Speaker 1: Apparently, they said, is that's all just for you to 126 00:06:22,279 --> 00:06:24,440 Speaker 1: make you think it is better because it's heavier. 127 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:26,640 Speaker 2: It's heavier, so it's worth more. 128 00:06:26,760 --> 00:06:30,080 Speaker 1: All right. So back to lasers. What you just described 129 00:06:30,440 --> 00:06:34,400 Speaker 1: very well, by the way, was regular light wavelength within 130 00:06:34,440 --> 00:06:37,240 Speaker 1: the wavelength. If you talk about the differences of a 131 00:06:37,320 --> 00:06:39,840 Speaker 1: laser light, you're talking about three main differences, in the 132 00:06:39,839 --> 00:06:43,080 Speaker 1: first of which is that single wavelength it's monoc like 133 00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:46,600 Speaker 1: truly monochromatic. That beam of light that a laser is 134 00:06:47,200 --> 00:06:50,320 Speaker 1: or I guess you know, produces Well, no, it's what 135 00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:54,280 Speaker 1: it is is is just a very it's a single wavelength, 136 00:06:54,360 --> 00:06:55,599 Speaker 1: highly highly concentrated. 137 00:06:56,160 --> 00:06:59,559 Speaker 2: Yeah, so rather than say a wavelength between five seventy 138 00:06:59,600 --> 00:07:02,400 Speaker 2: and five for being yellow, this is a five hundred 139 00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:06,120 Speaker 2: and seventy two nanometer wavelength that is that specific yellow. 140 00:07:06,240 --> 00:07:09,720 Speaker 2: That's right, and it's it's not it's made up entirely 141 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:14,240 Speaker 2: of yellow light on the exact same wavelength. That is 142 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:19,080 Speaker 2: incredibly important. That's a huge, huge difference. Lasers don't occur naturally. 143 00:07:19,640 --> 00:07:22,480 Speaker 2: We've figured out how to make them, and by we, 144 00:07:22,760 --> 00:07:24,200 Speaker 2: I'm including myself in you. 145 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:28,640 Speaker 1: That's right. The second big difference between laser light and 146 00:07:28,680 --> 00:07:32,000 Speaker 1: regular light is that it's coherent. So not only is 147 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:35,400 Speaker 1: it just a single wavelength, but the photons of the light, 148 00:07:35,480 --> 00:07:37,320 Speaker 1: and we're going to talk about where they come into 149 00:07:37,320 --> 00:07:39,480 Speaker 1: play here in a second. Thanks to mister Einstein or 150 00:07:39,480 --> 00:07:43,640 Speaker 1: doctor Einstein, the photons are perfectly in phase with one another. 151 00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:46,520 Speaker 1: So if you look at that wavelength, the peaks and 152 00:07:46,560 --> 00:07:48,600 Speaker 1: the troughs are all perfectly in sync. 153 00:07:49,400 --> 00:07:52,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, and not like they're following the same plane and 154 00:07:52,240 --> 00:07:54,360 Speaker 2: they're just kind of in synct like that like, they're 155 00:07:54,440 --> 00:07:56,600 Speaker 2: upright above each other, right below each other. They're not 156 00:07:56,720 --> 00:07:59,520 Speaker 2: interfering with one another in any way whatsoever. 157 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:00,440 Speaker 1: That's right. 158 00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:04,119 Speaker 2: And then the last one is that they're colimated, meaning 159 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:07,080 Speaker 2: they're all traveling in the exact same direction. 160 00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:10,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean that's important. I mean culimated sort of 161 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:14,160 Speaker 1: a fancy way of saying directional. But as we'll see, 162 00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:16,800 Speaker 1: they all have to be traveling that same direction to 163 00:08:16,800 --> 00:08:18,200 Speaker 1: pick up their little photon buddies. 164 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:21,560 Speaker 2: Yeah. So essentially what you've got is a very specific 165 00:08:21,640 --> 00:08:24,800 Speaker 2: kind of the exact same kind of light, none of 166 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:28,360 Speaker 2: which are interfering with the other photons that are coming 167 00:08:28,360 --> 00:08:30,360 Speaker 2: out of the laser, all of which are traveling in 168 00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:32,199 Speaker 2: the same direction, so they do not get in one 169 00:08:32,200 --> 00:08:35,600 Speaker 2: another's way, and they can be combined very very tightly. 170 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:38,280 Speaker 2: And that's essentially what a laser does. 171 00:08:38,679 --> 00:08:41,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, for sure. And it all goes back to that 172 00:08:41,640 --> 00:08:46,920 Speaker 1: acronym stimulated emission, the SE and laser. You can't make 173 00:08:46,960 --> 00:08:50,439 Speaker 1: a laser without SE, that's true. You can't spell laser 174 00:08:50,440 --> 00:08:53,040 Speaker 1: without SE, and you can't have a laser without stimulated emission. 175 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:57,079 Speaker 1: And our buddy Einstein is the guy who sort of 176 00:08:57,120 --> 00:08:59,480 Speaker 1: laid the theoretical groundwork. He didn't go out and build 177 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:02,319 Speaker 1: a laser. That came later, but he laid the theoretical 178 00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:06,120 Speaker 1: groundwork for all of this back in the ridiculously in 179 00:09:06,160 --> 00:09:07,360 Speaker 1: the early nineteen hundreds. 180 00:09:08,760 --> 00:09:12,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, so back in nineteen oh five, most people were like, 181 00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:16,079 Speaker 2: light's a continuous wave, and by proxy, the universe is 182 00:09:16,160 --> 00:09:19,600 Speaker 2: one smooth, continuous thing. In Einstein's like, I don't think 183 00:09:19,640 --> 00:09:22,360 Speaker 2: that's true. I think if you zoom in far enough, 184 00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:24,880 Speaker 2: close enough into the fabric of the universe, you're going 185 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:28,440 Speaker 2: to see it's actually made of discrete, little little things 186 00:09:28,840 --> 00:09:33,200 Speaker 2: and call them pixels, right, And he's like, if that's true, 187 00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:37,480 Speaker 2: then light can't be one continuous wave either. So I 188 00:09:37,559 --> 00:09:40,040 Speaker 2: think they're actually made up of those little tiny packets 189 00:09:40,240 --> 00:09:43,439 Speaker 2: that I'm going to call photons. And he turned out 190 00:09:43,440 --> 00:09:45,800 Speaker 2: to be right. He had a great equation for it too. 191 00:09:45,920 --> 00:09:49,240 Speaker 2: It's so elegantly simple. That's the thing about Einstein. He 192 00:09:49,240 --> 00:09:52,040 Speaker 2: could come up with like three different things and could 193 00:09:52,040 --> 00:09:54,320 Speaker 2: completely change our understanding of the universe. 194 00:09:54,440 --> 00:09:58,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, for sure, this is the Planck Einstein, Einstein, what 195 00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:02,600 Speaker 1: just happened? I was concentrating so heavily. I'm not saying Plank. 196 00:10:03,640 --> 00:10:05,600 Speaker 2: I've heard Plank I think that's how most people say. 197 00:10:05,679 --> 00:10:07,600 Speaker 1: Oh, I've always heard plank. 198 00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:09,959 Speaker 2: Okay, I've heard both, but most of the people I've 199 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:12,200 Speaker 2: ever heard say plank. But I mean, I run in 200 00:10:12,240 --> 00:10:13,360 Speaker 2: pretty low brow crowds. 201 00:10:14,120 --> 00:10:17,280 Speaker 1: I think the probably the correctest plank, but most people 202 00:10:17,320 --> 00:10:18,160 Speaker 1: do say plank. You're right. 203 00:10:18,640 --> 00:10:20,439 Speaker 2: I like the way that you said it the first time. 204 00:10:20,480 --> 00:10:21,559 Speaker 2: The plank Einstein. 205 00:10:21,600 --> 00:10:26,800 Speaker 1: No, it says Einstein though. Yeah, the Plank Einstein relation, 206 00:10:28,400 --> 00:10:31,840 Speaker 1: which is the energy beach photon is equal to its 207 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:36,360 Speaker 1: frequency times Plunk's constant e equals HF. 208 00:10:36,880 --> 00:10:39,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, and all Plunk's constant is all it is. It's 209 00:10:39,920 --> 00:10:44,400 Speaker 2: the smallest possible measurement of energy that anything can have 210 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:49,440 Speaker 2: on like the quantum level. Right, And so Einstein was like, Hey, 211 00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:51,280 Speaker 2: I want to figure out how all this stuff kind 212 00:10:51,320 --> 00:10:55,120 Speaker 2: of interacts because I know that photons interact with electrons. 213 00:10:55,160 --> 00:10:56,640 Speaker 2: I'm just positive of it. 214 00:10:56,920 --> 00:10:57,120 Speaker 1: Wow. 215 00:10:57,240 --> 00:11:01,440 Speaker 2: And they were figured that's pretty good. They were figuring out. 216 00:11:01,760 --> 00:11:03,840 Speaker 2: He was figuring out I think other people were at 217 00:11:03,880 --> 00:11:07,480 Speaker 2: the same time that when you have sub atomic particles 218 00:11:07,520 --> 00:11:10,600 Speaker 2: like an electron orbiting an atom, which if you go 219 00:11:10,679 --> 00:11:13,800 Speaker 2: listen to our periodic Table episode, I think we did 220 00:11:13,800 --> 00:11:18,679 Speaker 2: a pretty decent explanation of how you know that symbolism 221 00:11:18,760 --> 00:11:22,520 Speaker 2: or that visualization of it is not very correct. But 222 00:11:22,679 --> 00:11:25,040 Speaker 2: for all intents and purposes for this, let's say that 223 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:28,920 Speaker 2: these electrons orbit in different orbits around the atom, and 224 00:11:28,960 --> 00:11:32,559 Speaker 2: when a photon hits it that orbit, that electron goes 225 00:11:32,679 --> 00:11:37,640 Speaker 2: up in energy I think for like one hundred nanoseconds typically, Yeah, 226 00:11:37,679 --> 00:11:39,360 Speaker 2: and then it says, okay, I want to get back 227 00:11:39,360 --> 00:11:41,680 Speaker 2: to my resting state it's ground state, and it goes 228 00:11:41,760 --> 00:11:44,120 Speaker 2: back to its previous orbital But when it does, it 229 00:11:44,160 --> 00:11:45,200 Speaker 2: poops out a photon. 230 00:11:45,640 --> 00:11:47,839 Speaker 1: You know what's funny? What as earlier when I was 231 00:11:47,880 --> 00:11:49,719 Speaker 1: going over there in my head, I said, poops out 232 00:11:49,720 --> 00:11:50,160 Speaker 1: of photon. 233 00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:52,920 Speaker 2: Sure, I mean you and I we share a brain 234 00:11:53,360 --> 00:11:54,959 Speaker 2: when it comes to toilet humor. 235 00:11:55,040 --> 00:11:58,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's true. Yeah, that's exactly right. So an atom 236 00:11:58,559 --> 00:12:00,760 Speaker 1: is going to absorb that energy, and it can do 237 00:12:00,800 --> 00:12:02,360 Speaker 1: that in a lot of ways, but let's just say 238 00:12:02,360 --> 00:12:04,440 Speaker 1: in this case, it's like some it gets heated up, 239 00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:08,280 Speaker 1: you know, like literally heated up. Those electrons are going 240 00:12:08,320 --> 00:12:10,560 Speaker 1: to jump around and get excited. But once they that 241 00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:12,600 Speaker 1: makes it unstable. But it wants to be stable. So 242 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:14,559 Speaker 1: when it goes back to that state. You're right, it 243 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:22,040 Speaker 1: poops out that photon. Einstein saw this, called it spontaneous emission. Yeah, 244 00:12:22,080 --> 00:12:24,920 Speaker 1: and this happens all the time all over the place 245 00:12:25,640 --> 00:12:29,040 Speaker 1: in nature. These photons are getting pooped out all over 246 00:12:29,080 --> 00:12:31,360 Speaker 1: the place. But Einstein was like, well, hey, if it 247 00:12:31,360 --> 00:12:34,840 Speaker 1: happens all the time naturally, he theorized, maybe we can 248 00:12:35,440 --> 00:12:37,360 Speaker 1: we can stimulate it to do this. Maybe we can 249 00:12:37,400 --> 00:12:39,280 Speaker 1: make this happen and control that emission. 250 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:43,079 Speaker 2: Yeah, Because here's the thing, right, Like you say you 251 00:12:43,080 --> 00:12:46,439 Speaker 2: have a photon that hits an atom and knocks an 252 00:12:46,440 --> 00:12:49,560 Speaker 2: electron into the higher energy state, then that electron poops 253 00:12:49,600 --> 00:12:52,840 Speaker 2: out a photon. Well, that electron is just absorbed the photon. 254 00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:55,080 Speaker 2: So another way of looking at it is the photon 255 00:12:55,200 --> 00:12:59,320 Speaker 2: essentially goes into the electron and comes back out the 256 00:12:59,360 --> 00:13:02,560 Speaker 2: other side kind of, but there's only one photon ever, 257 00:13:02,640 --> 00:13:06,200 Speaker 2: one gets absorbed, one's produced. What Einstein figured out is 258 00:13:06,240 --> 00:13:10,600 Speaker 2: with stimulated emission, you can use a photon to create 259 00:13:10,640 --> 00:13:13,880 Speaker 2: another photon without losing the first photon. And if you 260 00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:17,840 Speaker 2: do that a bunch of times, buddy, you can have like, oh, 261 00:13:17,880 --> 00:13:19,800 Speaker 2: like you could make a basket with your shirt and 262 00:13:19,840 --> 00:13:20,800 Speaker 2: fill it with photons. 263 00:13:20,840 --> 00:13:23,600 Speaker 1: If you do it, right, Yeah, I mean he realized 264 00:13:23,640 --> 00:13:26,520 Speaker 1: that photons like to hang out with one another, so 265 00:13:26,880 --> 00:13:29,920 Speaker 1: it doesn't take a lot to get them, you know, 266 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:32,760 Speaker 1: traveling in a direction and saying, hey, buddy, come with me, 267 00:13:33,360 --> 00:13:35,880 Speaker 1: and it creates this sort of sort of like a snowball, 268 00:13:35,920 --> 00:13:39,360 Speaker 1: like a cascading effect where if you can get them 269 00:13:39,520 --> 00:13:44,520 Speaker 1: in an excited state and stimulate them and have them 270 00:13:44,520 --> 00:13:46,760 Speaker 1: pick up other photons and have them all travel in 271 00:13:46,800 --> 00:13:53,080 Speaker 1: the same direction, you're like halfway toward laser town pretty much. 272 00:13:53,320 --> 00:13:55,480 Speaker 2: You can see the outskirts of town and the light 273 00:13:55,520 --> 00:13:56,520 Speaker 2: shooting up in the sky. 274 00:13:56,640 --> 00:13:57,080 Speaker 1: Yeah you can. 275 00:13:58,080 --> 00:14:02,280 Speaker 2: So yeah, So that's stimulated emission. And the key here 276 00:14:02,559 --> 00:14:04,559 Speaker 2: is you don't have to spend a photon to get 277 00:14:04,559 --> 00:14:08,200 Speaker 2: a photon, right, You can excite the atom in other 278 00:14:08,240 --> 00:14:11,000 Speaker 2: ways as long as it's already in its excited state. 279 00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:14,400 Speaker 2: When the photon comes along, it's going to produce another photon. Now, 280 00:14:14,559 --> 00:14:18,000 Speaker 2: for the purposes of lasers, what's really really important here 281 00:14:18,280 --> 00:14:21,520 Speaker 2: is it is going to produce an exactly identical photon 282 00:14:21,560 --> 00:14:26,160 Speaker 2: as the first one that passes by, right, traveling in 283 00:14:26,160 --> 00:14:29,360 Speaker 2: the same direction, and it's not going to interfere with 284 00:14:29,400 --> 00:14:33,000 Speaker 2: the first one. So they're cohesive, and they're collimated, and 285 00:14:33,040 --> 00:14:36,480 Speaker 2: they're exactly the same. They're monochromatic, which, as we said before, 286 00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:39,000 Speaker 2: those are the things you need for a laser. So 287 00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:43,000 Speaker 2: Einstein figured out back in nineteen seventeen how to make 288 00:14:43,040 --> 00:14:45,760 Speaker 2: a laser, and it was like, you, guys, figure it out. 289 00:14:45,800 --> 00:14:47,560 Speaker 2: I'm going to think about some other stuff. 290 00:14:47,760 --> 00:14:49,880 Speaker 1: Yeah. And if you say, well, wait a minute, I 291 00:14:49,880 --> 00:14:52,240 Speaker 1: thought you said nineteen oh five, like it even took 292 00:14:52,240 --> 00:14:54,400 Speaker 1: Ein Einstein a little while to get there, you know, 293 00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:56,600 Speaker 1: that's right, took a little while. So should we take 294 00:14:56,600 --> 00:14:57,000 Speaker 1: a break. 295 00:14:58,000 --> 00:14:59,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, I feel like a break is imminent. 296 00:15:00,640 --> 00:15:24,360 Speaker 1: We'll be right back with more lasers, all right. So 297 00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:28,880 Speaker 1: when we left, Einstein did some great work kind of 298 00:15:28,960 --> 00:15:32,280 Speaker 1: laying the groundwork, this theoretical foundation of a laser. And 299 00:15:32,320 --> 00:15:35,520 Speaker 1: then he was like, guys, I like to think of 300 00:15:35,600 --> 00:15:37,240 Speaker 1: things with my brain and say them out loud and 301 00:15:37,240 --> 00:15:40,960 Speaker 1: write them on chalkboards. If you want to build this thing, fine, 302 00:15:41,640 --> 00:15:45,480 Speaker 1: maybe slide me some cash. But I don't do that 303 00:15:45,560 --> 00:15:48,480 Speaker 1: kind of work. So people did though, that followed in 304 00:15:48,520 --> 00:15:50,480 Speaker 1: his footsteps, and in the nineteenth fifties it was a 305 00:15:50,480 --> 00:15:54,960 Speaker 1: physicist named Charles Towns. He worked at Bell Labs and 306 00:15:55,280 --> 00:16:00,840 Speaker 1: he was doing research on microwaves microwave radiation, and he 307 00:16:00,920 --> 00:16:04,000 Speaker 1: was trying to He didn't know it yet, but he was. 308 00:16:04,160 --> 00:16:06,480 Speaker 1: He was halfway to laser town because he was trying 309 00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:10,680 Speaker 1: to find ways to concentrate a beam of microwaves. 310 00:16:10,720 --> 00:16:14,720 Speaker 2: In this case, what's nuts is this guy figured it out. 311 00:16:14,800 --> 00:16:17,720 Speaker 2: He just basically tinkered around and made his own version 312 00:16:17,800 --> 00:16:20,560 Speaker 2: of a laser. But rather than using light, he used 313 00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:21,920 Speaker 2: microwave beams. Right. 314 00:16:22,040 --> 00:16:23,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, he built like a thing. 315 00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:27,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, he just he used ammonia adams. He put him 316 00:16:27,320 --> 00:16:31,520 Speaker 2: in a sealed chamber and he got them to essentially 317 00:16:31,840 --> 00:16:36,400 Speaker 2: emit microwave radiation that he was able to concentrate into 318 00:16:36,440 --> 00:16:40,680 Speaker 2: a beam. Right, So that cascading effect happened just like 319 00:16:40,760 --> 00:16:44,000 Speaker 2: we discussed before, and essentially the only difference is it 320 00:16:44,040 --> 00:16:47,760 Speaker 2: wasn't a light, it was a microwave beam. And to 321 00:16:47,840 --> 00:16:52,120 Speaker 2: test it, he aimed it at the front pocket of 322 00:16:52,160 --> 00:16:55,200 Speaker 2: a passing colleague, Percy Spencer, who happened to have a 323 00:16:55,280 --> 00:16:59,560 Speaker 2: chocolate bar in the front pocket, and he melted it and 324 00:16:59,640 --> 00:17:02,480 Speaker 2: Percy Spencer never forgave him because that was his favorite 325 00:17:02,480 --> 00:17:03,880 Speaker 2: short sleeve, button down shirt. 326 00:17:04,359 --> 00:17:06,040 Speaker 1: I think we talked about this, did we do one 327 00:17:06,119 --> 00:17:09,480 Speaker 1: of microwaves. Yeah, okay, well that would be exactly where 328 00:17:09,520 --> 00:17:11,000 Speaker 1: we talked about it then, probably. 329 00:17:10,920 --> 00:17:13,159 Speaker 2: Yeah, and they weren't colleagues. I just made that part up. 330 00:17:13,200 --> 00:17:15,480 Speaker 2: But that was a that was for you, buddy. 331 00:17:15,600 --> 00:17:17,680 Speaker 1: Oh no, wait, there was a chocolate thing though, what right? 332 00:17:18,040 --> 00:17:21,919 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah, that happened. But separately, I think Spencer 333 00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:24,280 Speaker 2: was in the presence of some microwave generator and his 334 00:17:24,400 --> 00:17:27,320 Speaker 2: chocolate bar melted. And now that went on to invent microwaves. 335 00:17:27,560 --> 00:17:30,199 Speaker 2: This thing was totally different. It's just yeah, it just 336 00:17:30,240 --> 00:17:31,920 Speaker 2: brought Percy Spencer to mind. 337 00:17:31,960 --> 00:17:36,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, I like it. So he literally called this a mazer, 338 00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:42,520 Speaker 1: a microwave amplified stimulated emission of radiation. He teamed up 339 00:17:42,520 --> 00:17:45,120 Speaker 1: with a guy. It was a colleague named Arthur Shallow, 340 00:17:45,960 --> 00:17:47,760 Speaker 1: and he said, let me see if we can do 341 00:17:47,800 --> 00:17:50,400 Speaker 1: the same thing with light, and we'll call it an 342 00:17:50,440 --> 00:17:54,800 Speaker 1: optical maser. And everyone was like, buddy, it's right there 343 00:17:54,800 --> 00:17:58,320 Speaker 1: in front of your face, like, come on, just get there. 344 00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:02,399 Speaker 2: I think it was theor myman I like to call 345 00:18:02,520 --> 00:18:06,720 Speaker 2: him my man who actually came up with the laser. 346 00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:11,040 Speaker 2: He built the first functional laser in nineteen. 347 00:18:11,040 --> 00:18:12,560 Speaker 1: Sixty and came up with a name. 348 00:18:13,400 --> 00:18:16,960 Speaker 2: I think he did Okay. Up to this point, they 349 00:18:17,040 --> 00:18:21,000 Speaker 2: were all theoretical and my man was the first one 350 00:18:21,040 --> 00:18:24,680 Speaker 2: to actually build one, and he used a ruby crystal, 351 00:18:25,359 --> 00:18:28,560 Speaker 2: which at the time I think had already been dismissed. 352 00:18:28,560 --> 00:18:31,040 Speaker 2: People were like, you can't use that to make a laser. 353 00:18:31,080 --> 00:18:33,040 Speaker 2: And he's like, let me try again, and he did 354 00:18:33,040 --> 00:18:35,920 Speaker 2: some more calculations. He's like, the ruby's actually going to 355 00:18:35,960 --> 00:18:39,280 Speaker 2: be great. So he used a pink ruby crystal as 356 00:18:39,320 --> 00:18:40,960 Speaker 2: what's called the gain medium. 357 00:18:41,119 --> 00:18:44,120 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's like the material lasing material that you would 358 00:18:44,200 --> 00:18:45,640 Speaker 1: use exactly. 359 00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:48,440 Speaker 2: That's where the atoms that you get excited are all stored. 360 00:18:48,760 --> 00:18:53,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, So he surrounded that crystal with a with a flash. 361 00:18:53,400 --> 00:18:56,520 Speaker 1: It was a coil shaped flash bulb. So that's that's 362 00:18:56,640 --> 00:18:58,280 Speaker 1: going to be the thing that you know, the heat 363 00:18:58,359 --> 00:19:01,600 Speaker 1: or whatever or the light that stimulates the initial reactions 364 00:19:02,080 --> 00:19:06,239 Speaker 1: the pump. Sure, and then the two ends of that 365 00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:09,520 Speaker 1: crystal were painted reflective silver. So everything is sort of 366 00:19:10,800 --> 00:19:13,440 Speaker 1: kind of trapped in there together, encouraging all those photons 367 00:19:13,480 --> 00:19:16,119 Speaker 1: to bounce around and get a little wild and create 368 00:19:16,200 --> 00:19:19,200 Speaker 1: more photons and say, hey, you know we're doing something here, 369 00:19:19,240 --> 00:19:20,520 Speaker 1: guys and all. 370 00:19:20,600 --> 00:19:22,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, all of these photons came out at six hundred 371 00:19:22,840 --> 00:19:25,240 Speaker 2: and ninety four nanometers, which I guess is the precise 372 00:19:25,280 --> 00:19:26,560 Speaker 2: wavelength of ruby red. 373 00:19:26,680 --> 00:19:27,399 Speaker 1: Yeah, I guess so. 374 00:19:28,160 --> 00:19:30,800 Speaker 2: And he showed that like there, there, here's a laser. 375 00:19:30,920 --> 00:19:33,600 Speaker 2: Check it out. Let me see your face. Basically, I 376 00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:36,240 Speaker 2: think was how he showed it off right. He would 377 00:19:36,240 --> 00:19:37,760 Speaker 2: just wave it in people's faces. 378 00:19:37,840 --> 00:19:38,800 Speaker 1: That's why he's my man. 379 00:19:40,520 --> 00:19:43,360 Speaker 2: So that was it. I mean, that was the first 380 00:19:43,440 --> 00:19:46,400 Speaker 2: laser that and it was what you want to say, 381 00:19:46,480 --> 00:19:48,800 Speaker 2: like it was as easy as that. Of course that's 382 00:19:48,880 --> 00:19:52,080 Speaker 2: not easy, but the principle of it is kind of 383 00:19:52,480 --> 00:19:54,800 Speaker 2: like you said, it's simple to understand, which is great. 384 00:19:55,280 --> 00:19:58,000 Speaker 2: Like we did one on the breathalyzer, and it is 385 00:19:58,080 --> 00:20:03,360 Speaker 2: so ridiculously complicated. It's more complicated than a laser by far. 386 00:20:03,840 --> 00:20:04,760 Speaker 1: I hated that one. 387 00:20:05,040 --> 00:20:05,560 Speaker 2: I did too. 388 00:20:05,600 --> 00:20:06,880 Speaker 1: That was a long period of time ago. 389 00:20:07,359 --> 00:20:09,439 Speaker 2: I remember we picked it, we started researching, and I 390 00:20:09,480 --> 00:20:09,840 Speaker 2: was like. 391 00:20:10,119 --> 00:20:10,600 Speaker 1: This sucks. 392 00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:13,359 Speaker 2: Wait, why am I not understanding this? It was just 393 00:20:13,560 --> 00:20:16,400 Speaker 2: so complex. Let's never talk about it again. 394 00:20:16,480 --> 00:20:18,480 Speaker 1: I think we just wanted the explanation to be like 395 00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:21,920 Speaker 1: blow into tube smells beer exactly. 396 00:20:22,040 --> 00:20:23,960 Speaker 2: You just make a bunch of like drunk jokes. 397 00:20:24,080 --> 00:20:27,760 Speaker 1: Exactly, all right, So that that was the first laser, 398 00:20:28,480 --> 00:20:30,919 Speaker 1: Like you said, he use that ruby to begin with. 399 00:20:31,040 --> 00:20:33,359 Speaker 1: But there are all sorts of gain mediums. There can 400 00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:37,280 Speaker 1: be liquids, there can be gases, and we should probably 401 00:20:37,280 --> 00:20:41,080 Speaker 1: go over the five main types of laser now, starting 402 00:20:41,119 --> 00:20:44,800 Speaker 1: with like if you've ever been for tattoo removal or 403 00:20:45,520 --> 00:20:48,800 Speaker 1: like had a skin cancer with laser removal, they're using 404 00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:51,720 Speaker 1: a solid state laser in that case, and it's called 405 00:20:51,720 --> 00:20:54,960 Speaker 1: solid state because they're using a solid crystal or a 406 00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:57,359 Speaker 1: glass or something like that. Mix it up with a 407 00:20:57,359 --> 00:21:01,879 Speaker 1: little with a gain medium like well, it's they're all 408 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:07,360 Speaker 1: rare earth elements like chromium or something like that. Neodymium 409 00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:08,760 Speaker 1: is that one. 410 00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:14,359 Speaker 2: Yeah, there's also a bitterum you abitterum man I even 411 00:21:14,359 --> 00:21:17,760 Speaker 2: looked it up, udbium atbium. 412 00:21:17,440 --> 00:21:20,040 Speaker 1: Aterbium I betze, right, that's a that's why that looks funny. 413 00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:22,840 Speaker 2: It is great though, why t t E r b 414 00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:26,080 Speaker 2: I U m yatterbium I got it And all of 415 00:21:26,119 --> 00:21:29,320 Speaker 2: those Basically they dope that say, like you could still 416 00:21:29,400 --> 00:21:32,719 Speaker 2: use ruby, but you would create like a ruby crystal 417 00:21:32,800 --> 00:21:37,320 Speaker 2: that's doped with these impurities that you've selected based on 418 00:21:37,400 --> 00:21:42,120 Speaker 2: their say like reflective properties, or they're phosphorescent properties. These 419 00:21:42,119 --> 00:21:46,320 Speaker 2: things can generate some photons really efficiently, and they're going 420 00:21:46,400 --> 00:21:50,160 Speaker 2: to generate them in exactly the wavelength that you want. Yeah, 421 00:21:50,160 --> 00:21:52,480 Speaker 2: it's a solid state laser. I follows in the tradition 422 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:55,359 Speaker 2: of that original Mamayan's laser from nineteen sixty. 423 00:21:55,600 --> 00:21:58,600 Speaker 1: You know, Emily knows not much about football, doesn't care, 424 00:21:58,760 --> 00:22:00,919 Speaker 1: but there's always a few plays that she knows of, 425 00:22:01,040 --> 00:22:06,560 Speaker 1: and it's always very funny. Patrick Mahomes is one of them, 426 00:22:06,600 --> 00:22:09,600 Speaker 1: and every time she'd hears of him or anything, she 427 00:22:09,720 --> 00:22:13,480 Speaker 1: just goes my homes very nice, sort of like my man. 428 00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:15,560 Speaker 2: Oh no, I'm with you. That's a great way to 429 00:22:15,560 --> 00:22:16,960 Speaker 2: say it. Nice. 430 00:22:17,240 --> 00:22:18,680 Speaker 1: One thing I wanted to point out though about these 431 00:22:18,680 --> 00:22:21,960 Speaker 1: different types of blazers is all of them are that 432 00:22:22,119 --> 00:22:25,600 Speaker 1: they use different types of blazers according to whatever application 433 00:22:25,640 --> 00:22:28,480 Speaker 1: they want to use it for. So it's not just like, hey, 434 00:22:28,480 --> 00:22:31,960 Speaker 1: these are cool, let's use let's use this crystal with 435 00:22:32,040 --> 00:22:35,719 Speaker 1: this doping agent because we just think it sounds awesome. 436 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:38,199 Speaker 1: It's all highly specific to what you want to end 437 00:22:38,280 --> 00:22:38,960 Speaker 1: up using it for. 438 00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:42,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, Like even like tattoo removal you said, which I'm 439 00:22:42,840 --> 00:22:45,200 Speaker 2: in the process of I'm getting towards the end there, buddy. 440 00:22:45,280 --> 00:22:47,040 Speaker 1: How's it looking pretty gone? 441 00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:49,480 Speaker 2: Pretty light? Yeah? It start? Yeah, I mean you can 442 00:22:49,520 --> 00:22:51,399 Speaker 2: still see it, especially if you walk up to it, 443 00:22:51,440 --> 00:22:53,720 Speaker 2: but you could also miss it if you weren't looking 444 00:22:53,760 --> 00:22:56,440 Speaker 2: for it's getting like that, Just like while that guy's 445 00:22:56,480 --> 00:22:57,960 Speaker 2: got mildew on his arm. 446 00:22:58,480 --> 00:23:00,520 Speaker 1: I took the other tack. As you have seen recently 447 00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:02,720 Speaker 1: when we were on tour, I had a probably two 448 00:23:02,720 --> 00:23:04,840 Speaker 1: inch by two inch tattoo that I covered with half 449 00:23:04,880 --> 00:23:05,680 Speaker 1: of an arm sleeve. 450 00:23:07,320 --> 00:23:09,280 Speaker 2: I didn't see it. You haven't shown it to me? Oh? 451 00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:11,159 Speaker 1: How was was I always in long sleeves? 452 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:14,400 Speaker 2: Yeah? And I forgot to ask. I actually thought about 453 00:23:14,440 --> 00:23:16,000 Speaker 2: that when we were researching this. I was like, I 454 00:23:16,040 --> 00:23:17,240 Speaker 2: haven't seen chucks do tattoo. 455 00:23:17,440 --> 00:23:19,720 Speaker 1: Well, i'll I'll take my shirt off in front of 456 00:23:19,720 --> 00:23:20,040 Speaker 1: you soon. 457 00:23:20,440 --> 00:23:24,640 Speaker 2: Okay. But even with the tattoo removal ones. They have 458 00:23:24,760 --> 00:23:30,680 Speaker 2: different types of solid state lasers. The gain medium is different. Right. 459 00:23:31,119 --> 00:23:37,240 Speaker 2: There's one called the n d YAG laser. Yeah, that's 460 00:23:37,240 --> 00:23:43,200 Speaker 2: a really common one. Neodymium doped yetrium. Yeah, aluminum garnet. 461 00:23:43,880 --> 00:23:48,280 Speaker 2: That's the gain medium. And that's for I don't remember 462 00:23:48,280 --> 00:23:51,320 Speaker 2: what that one's for I think different color like regular 463 00:23:51,359 --> 00:23:54,199 Speaker 2: color tattoos, whereas like if it's green, to use a 464 00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:56,200 Speaker 2: different kind of in gain medium. 465 00:23:56,280 --> 00:23:56,480 Speaker 1: Yeah. 466 00:23:56,520 --> 00:23:58,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, so it is extremely specific. 467 00:23:59,119 --> 00:24:01,680 Speaker 1: All right, well, can we move on to gas lasers. 468 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:02,960 Speaker 2: I think it's time. Yeah. 469 00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:05,800 Speaker 1: So obviously they're going to use gases or gain medium. 470 00:24:06,119 --> 00:24:09,879 Speaker 1: It could be a carbon dioxide laser, it could be argne, 471 00:24:09,960 --> 00:24:13,760 Speaker 1: could be crypton if you're really into comic books. And 472 00:24:14,359 --> 00:24:18,800 Speaker 1: these are different than solid state layers. Obviously, in solid 473 00:24:18,840 --> 00:24:21,600 Speaker 1: state the atoms are excited by a light source. In 474 00:24:21,640 --> 00:24:23,760 Speaker 1: this case, it's an electrical current, and it's going to 475 00:24:23,800 --> 00:24:24,320 Speaker 1: get them going. 476 00:24:25,119 --> 00:24:29,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, it gets them excited. There's all sorts of stuff 477 00:24:29,080 --> 00:24:31,560 Speaker 2: you can use with gas lasers, but probably one of 478 00:24:31,280 --> 00:24:34,840 Speaker 2: the most famous one is using a carbon dioxide as 479 00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:39,000 Speaker 2: the gain medium, and those things can get those photons going. 480 00:24:39,119 --> 00:24:45,040 Speaker 2: You can weld with it. That's how powerful these lasers can. 481 00:24:45,200 --> 00:24:47,919 Speaker 2: You can weld metal with that stuff. And then at 482 00:24:47,960 --> 00:24:50,960 Speaker 2: the same time, if you use a different gas, you 483 00:24:51,040 --> 00:24:54,119 Speaker 2: might have a eximer laser. You can actually break the 484 00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:57,240 Speaker 2: bonds that hold molecules together. You can alter cells, you 485 00:24:57,240 --> 00:25:01,440 Speaker 2: can destroy tissue. But it uses UV lights, so it 486 00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:04,080 Speaker 2: doesn't produce heat. So that's how you can use that 487 00:25:04,119 --> 00:25:07,240 Speaker 2: on someone's skin without burning them, but still say removing 488 00:25:07,320 --> 00:25:10,320 Speaker 2: like a squamous cell or something. 489 00:25:10,680 --> 00:25:13,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, or if you've ever heard of something being laser cut, 490 00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:16,360 Speaker 1: then it's probably going to be a gas laser doing 491 00:25:16,400 --> 00:25:16,960 Speaker 1: that business. 492 00:25:17,440 --> 00:25:19,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, hopefully that you didn't hear about that from a 493 00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:21,160 Speaker 2: squama cell being removed. 494 00:25:21,640 --> 00:25:21,840 Speaker 1: Right. 495 00:25:22,920 --> 00:25:26,960 Speaker 2: There's also fiber lasers. These are very special lasers. I 496 00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:30,000 Speaker 2: don't know how they found this out, but scientists concluded 497 00:25:30,240 --> 00:25:35,760 Speaker 2: that the cloaks usually or the textiles found with bog bodies, 498 00:25:36,200 --> 00:25:38,520 Speaker 2: have some sort of magical properties that if you use 499 00:25:38,560 --> 00:25:41,840 Speaker 2: them as a gain medium, they make really great lasers. 500 00:25:42,080 --> 00:25:43,240 Speaker 2: Hence fiber lasers. 501 00:25:43,800 --> 00:25:46,960 Speaker 1: Right, But in this case they're used in conjunction with 502 00:25:47,119 --> 00:25:50,119 Speaker 1: a fiber optic cable. And so these are obviously have 503 00:25:50,240 --> 00:25:53,920 Speaker 1: long been used in telecommunications and stuff like that. And 504 00:25:54,480 --> 00:25:57,719 Speaker 1: because they are used in conjunction with an actual cable, 505 00:25:58,359 --> 00:26:02,320 Speaker 1: they're very very efficient. Convert more than fifty percent of 506 00:26:02,359 --> 00:26:09,359 Speaker 1: the electricity that's input into light. But that d YAG 507 00:26:09,440 --> 00:26:12,120 Speaker 1: laser has about a three percent efficiency rate. 508 00:26:12,720 --> 00:26:16,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's pretty efficient. That's another way that lasers are 509 00:26:16,600 --> 00:26:21,119 Speaker 2: part of your everyday life. If you have fiber Internet, 510 00:26:21,880 --> 00:26:24,000 Speaker 2: like you have a laser on one end that your 511 00:26:24,040 --> 00:26:31,040 Speaker 2: ISP is using to send communications or encoded information along 512 00:26:31,040 --> 00:26:33,560 Speaker 2: a fiber optic cable, and your modem is basically a 513 00:26:33,600 --> 00:26:37,560 Speaker 2: laser receiver that translates it into whatever your router needs 514 00:26:37,600 --> 00:26:38,560 Speaker 2: to explain it to you. 515 00:26:39,200 --> 00:26:42,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, that man, that breaks my brain like vinyl records, 516 00:26:43,680 --> 00:26:44,359 Speaker 1: does you know? 517 00:26:44,920 --> 00:26:47,480 Speaker 2: Yeah? It's pretty cool though, And that's the thing. So 518 00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:51,439 Speaker 2: it's just like when radio with radio waves, we figured 519 00:26:51,440 --> 00:26:54,359 Speaker 2: out how to encode information, and radio waves we figured 520 00:26:54,359 --> 00:26:56,920 Speaker 2: out how to do that with light. It's just lasers 521 00:26:56,960 --> 00:27:00,199 Speaker 2: are way more efficient. They can travel way longer than 522 00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:03,720 Speaker 2: radio waves can. And apparently they're starting to look into 523 00:27:03,760 --> 00:27:08,840 Speaker 2: this to transmit information between the Earth and the Moon. Well, boy, 524 00:27:09,800 --> 00:27:12,879 Speaker 2: so you'll just be able to you'll have basically not 525 00:27:12,920 --> 00:27:16,520 Speaker 2: even fiber optic Internet, you'll have laser Internet on the moon. 526 00:27:17,560 --> 00:27:17,800 Speaker 1: Wow. 527 00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:21,440 Speaker 2: I thought. I think that's wow too. Yeah, what about 528 00:27:21,480 --> 00:27:24,560 Speaker 2: liquid lasers or die lasers? I should probably say, because 529 00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:27,359 Speaker 2: you played that so straight, my explanation of what the 530 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:30,400 Speaker 2: gain medium is for fiber lasers that I just made 531 00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:30,719 Speaker 2: that up. 532 00:27:30,760 --> 00:27:35,600 Speaker 1: Everybody, Oh, I fall victim again. 533 00:27:36,480 --> 00:27:39,320 Speaker 2: Did you thought that they used the cloaks from bog 534 00:27:39,400 --> 00:27:40,119 Speaker 2: bodies for that. 535 00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:43,320 Speaker 1: Man, I don't all of this stuff is so brain breaking. 536 00:27:43,400 --> 00:27:45,840 Speaker 1: Nothing nothing. Would You could say human feces and I'd 537 00:27:45,840 --> 00:27:46,640 Speaker 1: be like, yeah, of. 538 00:27:46,560 --> 00:27:49,359 Speaker 2: Course that'd be man, that'd be gross. But I'll bet 539 00:27:49,440 --> 00:27:52,720 Speaker 2: you could. I think you could use anything with atoms 540 00:27:52,760 --> 00:27:55,240 Speaker 2: that's excitable to potentially make a laser. 541 00:27:55,440 --> 00:27:57,919 Speaker 1: You've become such a good straight person that it's just 542 00:27:58,040 --> 00:27:59,120 Speaker 1: hard to tell anymore. 543 00:27:59,520 --> 00:28:02,480 Speaker 2: It's hard to tell with you too, Hey, thanks, Yeah, 544 00:28:02,600 --> 00:28:03,480 Speaker 2: thank you. Uh. 545 00:28:03,600 --> 00:28:06,200 Speaker 1: Liquid lasers or dye lasers, these are sort of brain 546 00:28:06,240 --> 00:28:09,960 Speaker 1: breaking to these organic dyes as the gain medium, which 547 00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:12,160 Speaker 1: is kind of crazy to think about. But each die, 548 00:28:12,359 --> 00:28:15,240 Speaker 1: like uh, will produce a different laser light because they're 549 00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:16,840 Speaker 1: going to have, you know, because it's a color, like 550 00:28:16,880 --> 00:28:17,800 Speaker 1: a different wavelength. 551 00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:18,360 Speaker 2: Right. 552 00:28:18,560 --> 00:28:20,640 Speaker 1: And these are really cool because you can actually tune 553 00:28:20,720 --> 00:28:23,440 Speaker 1: them to a very you can manipulate them and tune 554 00:28:23,480 --> 00:28:26,520 Speaker 1: them within a very specific range for specific uses. 555 00:28:27,920 --> 00:28:30,280 Speaker 2: Yeah. So one laser can be used for all sorts 556 00:28:30,280 --> 00:28:33,280 Speaker 2: of different things, which is I'm sure quite cost efficient. 557 00:28:33,440 --> 00:28:33,920 Speaker 1: Yeah. 558 00:28:34,080 --> 00:28:36,520 Speaker 2: I think that's one of the downsides of solid state lasers. 559 00:28:36,720 --> 00:28:39,160 Speaker 2: It's like one thing you can be with one laser. 560 00:28:39,320 --> 00:28:40,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, Although That. 561 00:28:40,880 --> 00:28:42,680 Speaker 2: Would be cool if like it's just a cartridge you 562 00:28:42,680 --> 00:28:45,800 Speaker 2: can pop out and put in a new a new crystal. Yeah, 563 00:28:45,840 --> 00:28:46,480 Speaker 2: that'd be sweet. 564 00:28:46,600 --> 00:28:47,360 Speaker 1: They should work on that. 565 00:28:48,360 --> 00:28:50,400 Speaker 2: They have to be, you know, like the cost of 566 00:28:50,480 --> 00:28:54,840 Speaker 2: lasers have come down tremendously. I'm sure we'll eventually get there. 567 00:28:55,320 --> 00:28:59,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, just ask my cat, my cats with an us. 568 00:28:59,280 --> 00:29:00,960 Speaker 2: Well, let's talk about but that. We're kind of at 569 00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:04,600 Speaker 2: that point. Do you play with your cats with laser pointers? No? 570 00:29:05,040 --> 00:29:08,560 Speaker 1: I have, but they always get lost because they're always small. 571 00:29:09,560 --> 00:29:13,720 Speaker 2: Oh gotcha? Gotcha? Well that is actually a kind of laser. 572 00:29:13,800 --> 00:29:16,680 Speaker 2: That's why they call them laser pointers. They're the weakest laser. 573 00:29:16,840 --> 00:29:17,040 Speaker 1: Yeah. 574 00:29:17,080 --> 00:29:20,640 Speaker 2: But they use diodes, which are two different materials that 575 00:29:20,680 --> 00:29:23,240 Speaker 2: when you put them together with a place where they interface, 576 00:29:23,360 --> 00:29:27,400 Speaker 2: creates an electron exchange and hence a flow of electrons 577 00:29:27,440 --> 00:29:30,360 Speaker 2: and that creates electricity. So that's what these things are 578 00:29:30,360 --> 00:29:34,600 Speaker 2: powered by. This is the way that the light. Photons 579 00:29:34,640 --> 00:29:38,360 Speaker 2: get made from the excited atoms, and they're super cheap. 580 00:29:38,680 --> 00:29:41,560 Speaker 2: They're not very powerful, and that means that over a 581 00:29:41,600 --> 00:29:44,960 Speaker 2: fairly short distance I think like hundreds of meters, they 582 00:29:45,040 --> 00:29:48,680 Speaker 2: basically they're not a tiny point any longer Yeah, And 583 00:29:48,760 --> 00:29:51,560 Speaker 2: I was looking into this because when I hear laser pointers, 584 00:29:51,600 --> 00:29:53,720 Speaker 2: I think of jerks like trying to shine in the 585 00:29:53,800 --> 00:29:55,000 Speaker 2: light of an airline pilot. 586 00:29:55,120 --> 00:29:55,320 Speaker 1: Oh. 587 00:29:55,400 --> 00:29:58,120 Speaker 2: Sure, that's a real problem. Actually, I think it happens 588 00:29:58,160 --> 00:30:00,440 Speaker 2: a couple thousand times a year in the US alone. 589 00:30:00,560 --> 00:30:02,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, concerts too, people do that stuff. 590 00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:05,160 Speaker 2: Sure. The reason you're not supposed to do that with 591 00:30:05,200 --> 00:30:08,520 Speaker 2: airline pilots is because by the time it reaches the cockpit, 592 00:30:08,880 --> 00:30:11,200 Speaker 2: it has spread out so much that it's so man 593 00:30:11,400 --> 00:30:13,960 Speaker 2: it's like a huge ball of light. Yeah, that is 594 00:30:14,040 --> 00:30:16,320 Speaker 2: so bright in the cockpit that they can't even see 595 00:30:16,320 --> 00:30:17,560 Speaker 2: the instruments anymore. 596 00:30:17,920 --> 00:30:18,160 Speaker 1: Yeah. 597 00:30:18,200 --> 00:30:20,480 Speaker 2: So it's not like you're just putting like a little 598 00:30:20,520 --> 00:30:24,280 Speaker 2: dot on somebody's cheek. You are blinding everybody in the cockpit. Right. 599 00:30:24,280 --> 00:30:26,920 Speaker 2: Then it's a huge problem that you really should not do. 600 00:30:27,240 --> 00:30:31,000 Speaker 1: Yeah. And also, what's funny about messing with someone doing 601 00:30:31,000 --> 00:30:34,480 Speaker 1: a very important, dangerous job where hundreds and hundreds of 602 00:30:34,520 --> 00:30:37,320 Speaker 1: lives are at stake. Yeah, let's mess with that person. 603 00:30:37,680 --> 00:30:40,880 Speaker 2: Yes, and I think everyone's parents should sit them down 604 00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:43,760 Speaker 2: and say, yeah, let's talk about laser pointers, because you 605 00:30:43,800 --> 00:30:46,000 Speaker 2: probably aren't grasping what a problem this is. 606 00:30:46,440 --> 00:30:50,200 Speaker 1: Agreed. Well, that's a weak one. Those diode lasers are 607 00:30:50,200 --> 00:30:55,480 Speaker 1: semiconductor lasers. But since the very beginning, science has tried 608 00:30:55,520 --> 00:31:00,160 Speaker 1: to make the more powerful lasers and they have a 609 00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:01,960 Speaker 1: pretty great job at it. We'll go over some of these. 610 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:06,840 Speaker 1: But you measure in a laser by how quickly that 611 00:31:06,920 --> 00:31:10,000 Speaker 1: laser is emitting the energy, so it's jewels of energy 612 00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:15,480 Speaker 1: emitted per second. They measure that in watts, and they 613 00:31:15,480 --> 00:31:18,280 Speaker 1: figured out pretty early on that a continuous beam of 614 00:31:18,360 --> 00:31:22,080 Speaker 1: light emits a constant amount of energy over time. So 615 00:31:22,120 --> 00:31:24,240 Speaker 1: they were like, hey, I bet we can make these 616 00:31:24,240 --> 00:31:28,280 Speaker 1: even more powerful if we cut that off very quickly, 617 00:31:28,400 --> 00:31:31,080 Speaker 1: over and over and over and admit pulses of energy 618 00:31:31,800 --> 00:31:34,440 Speaker 1: because it builds up and it just gets stronger and stronger. 619 00:31:34,480 --> 00:31:36,640 Speaker 1: And they tried it out and it really worked. 620 00:31:37,040 --> 00:31:40,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, pulse lasers right, because, like you said, a traditional laser, 621 00:31:40,600 --> 00:31:42,960 Speaker 2: it's the same amount of energy the whole time the 622 00:31:42,960 --> 00:31:45,720 Speaker 2: beam is on the pulse laser, it's kind of like 623 00:31:45,880 --> 00:31:49,080 Speaker 2: stopping up the uh, the beam of light, so that 624 00:31:49,160 --> 00:31:51,680 Speaker 2: it just the energy builds up behind it and then 625 00:31:51,720 --> 00:31:53,760 Speaker 2: you open it up again and when you release it, 626 00:31:53,760 --> 00:31:59,440 Speaker 2: it's this ultra concentrated beam of energy, and it's it's 627 00:31:59,560 --> 00:32:03,600 Speaker 2: mind by uggling. How fast this happens so fast that 628 00:32:03,640 --> 00:32:06,080 Speaker 2: your puny brain just sees it as one constant beam 629 00:32:06,120 --> 00:32:09,480 Speaker 2: of light. Yeah, we don't have the technology to slow 630 00:32:09,520 --> 00:32:11,880 Speaker 2: it down enough. I don't think to see the pulsing 631 00:32:12,160 --> 00:32:17,600 Speaker 2: because we're talking billions, trillions, quadrillions, quintillions of a second. 632 00:32:17,920 --> 00:32:20,240 Speaker 2: How frequently those the thing is pulsing. 633 00:32:21,120 --> 00:32:24,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's incredible. I think they first demonstrated that in 634 00:32:24,640 --> 00:32:29,040 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty one with that Ruby laser, and I think 635 00:32:29,040 --> 00:32:32,000 Speaker 1: they ended up with one hundred nanosecond burst in nineteen 636 00:32:32,040 --> 00:32:33,400 Speaker 1: sixty one, which is pretty impressive. 637 00:32:33,480 --> 00:32:36,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, for sure, because a nanosecond is a billionth of 638 00:32:36,080 --> 00:32:36,560 Speaker 2: a second. 639 00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:39,360 Speaker 1: Yeah, so in nineteen sixty one they were able to 640 00:32:39,360 --> 00:32:42,120 Speaker 1: get that first laser by pulsing it up to one 641 00:32:42,160 --> 00:32:45,440 Speaker 1: thousand times more powerful than my man's device. 642 00:32:46,560 --> 00:32:51,200 Speaker 2: Yeah. This was a year after he built that first laser, right, Yeah, 643 00:32:51,320 --> 00:32:53,840 Speaker 2: So I think that was when you say one hundred 644 00:32:53,920 --> 00:32:56,800 Speaker 2: nanosecond bursts. I saw that. With the tech that they're 645 00:32:56,880 --> 00:33:02,240 Speaker 2: using now, nanosecond pulses are called giant pulses. Yeah, seriously, 646 00:33:02,280 --> 00:33:03,680 Speaker 2: that's what they consider them. 647 00:33:03,800 --> 00:33:06,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, and those are quintillions of a second, which is 648 00:33:06,160 --> 00:33:07,960 Speaker 1: hard to even wrap your head around for sure. 649 00:33:08,160 --> 00:33:10,920 Speaker 2: Right, So these things, these pulses are just like that's 650 00:33:11,120 --> 00:33:13,960 Speaker 2: it also, Chuck, I think goes to show you how 651 00:33:14,080 --> 00:33:18,000 Speaker 2: quickly energy builds up in the chamber that where the 652 00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:21,120 Speaker 2: beam is released from that it's it's like creating a 653 00:33:21,160 --> 00:33:24,200 Speaker 2: thousand times or ten thousand times or however many times 654 00:33:24,560 --> 00:33:28,720 Speaker 2: stronger beam just from backing it up in like one 655 00:33:29,200 --> 00:33:35,000 Speaker 2: quintillionth of a second. Yeah, sure, you want to take 656 00:33:35,000 --> 00:33:35,479 Speaker 2: a break. 657 00:33:36,000 --> 00:33:37,959 Speaker 1: Yeah, let's take a break, and let's talk about just 658 00:33:38,240 --> 00:33:40,680 Speaker 1: sort of real world uses and what's going on out there. 659 00:33:40,880 --> 00:34:05,560 Speaker 2: Okay, So, Chuck, there's some there's some lasers that are 660 00:34:05,600 --> 00:34:08,600 Speaker 2: just super powerful that are being built right now. Of course, 661 00:34:08,800 --> 00:34:11,200 Speaker 2: physicists are like, let's see how powerful we can make something. 662 00:34:11,360 --> 00:34:15,320 Speaker 2: There's one at the University of Michigan called zeus Zetiwa 663 00:34:15,480 --> 00:34:19,439 Speaker 2: Equivalent Ultra Short Pulse Laser System. And then there's one 664 00:34:19,480 --> 00:34:22,160 Speaker 2: in the UK that's being built called the Vulcan Laser. 665 00:34:23,200 --> 00:34:25,879 Speaker 1: Yeah, and these, I mean, the one in the UK 666 00:34:26,080 --> 00:34:30,920 Speaker 1: has a power of five hundred million forty what light bulbs, 667 00:34:31,360 --> 00:34:35,359 Speaker 1: well forty well, yeah, that's true, that's not much. And 668 00:34:35,400 --> 00:34:39,080 Speaker 1: the Zeus can generate a pulse of light that's twenty 669 00:34:39,120 --> 00:34:41,400 Speaker 1: five quintillions of a second long. 670 00:34:42,800 --> 00:34:45,760 Speaker 2: And so but wait, how much energy does it release? 671 00:34:46,520 --> 00:34:50,640 Speaker 1: Three petawats baby, which is one hundred times the total 672 00:34:50,760 --> 00:34:54,520 Speaker 1: electrical output of the entire world in one quick burst. 673 00:34:56,360 --> 00:35:01,319 Speaker 2: So these things are they're like, they're so powerful and 674 00:35:01,480 --> 00:35:04,640 Speaker 2: energetic that they're one of the main things they're going 675 00:35:04,719 --> 00:35:07,160 Speaker 2: to be used for is to study what it's like 676 00:35:07,360 --> 00:35:10,160 Speaker 2: inside a black hole or a star or something like that. 677 00:35:10,160 --> 00:35:12,959 Speaker 2: That's that's like what they're able to recreate and see 678 00:35:12,960 --> 00:35:15,400 Speaker 2: what happens when it bounces off of an apple or 679 00:35:15,400 --> 00:35:18,000 Speaker 2: something like that. What happens when you bounce a black 680 00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:19,000 Speaker 2: hole off of an apple? 681 00:35:19,520 --> 00:35:22,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's that's basically why they're trying to create these 682 00:35:23,000 --> 00:35:25,440 Speaker 1: this powerful. It's not so they can blow up the 683 00:35:25,480 --> 00:35:29,960 Speaker 1: Death Star, even though that's a good case use. It's so, yeah, 684 00:35:30,080 --> 00:35:34,160 Speaker 1: so they can recreate like the energy and the inside 685 00:35:34,160 --> 00:35:36,719 Speaker 1: of a star and find out the mysteries of the 686 00:35:36,800 --> 00:35:38,240 Speaker 1: universe basically exactly. 687 00:35:38,280 --> 00:35:41,279 Speaker 2: There's another thing you can use really really powerful lasers for, 688 00:35:41,360 --> 00:35:44,520 Speaker 2: and that's nuclear fusion. And we did a whole episode 689 00:35:44,600 --> 00:35:48,279 Speaker 2: on nuclear fusion, I think in twenty nineteen that was 690 00:35:48,320 --> 00:35:51,279 Speaker 2: one of my favorites of all time, and it's this 691 00:35:51,480 --> 00:35:55,880 Speaker 2: whole thing that's the promise of basically free, unlimited energy 692 00:35:56,239 --> 00:35:59,480 Speaker 2: that you can power anything with with almost like what 693 00:35:59,520 --> 00:36:02,160 Speaker 2: you're getting out is way more than what you're putting in. 694 00:36:03,000 --> 00:36:07,439 Speaker 2: And it's essentially where you take light nuclei and fuse 695 00:36:07,480 --> 00:36:10,919 Speaker 2: them together to create a heavy nuclei and a lot 696 00:36:10,960 --> 00:36:13,640 Speaker 2: of energy is released. It's just we haven't quite figured 697 00:36:13,640 --> 00:36:17,440 Speaker 2: it out. Well. You need like plasma concentrations. These are 698 00:36:17,480 --> 00:36:21,160 Speaker 2: plasma lasers, and apparently in twenty twenty two at the 699 00:36:21,239 --> 00:36:24,879 Speaker 2: Lawrence Livermore Lab, they use one hundred and ninety two 700 00:36:24,960 --> 00:36:29,719 Speaker 2: of these lasers to essentially create the world's first nuclear 701 00:36:29,800 --> 00:36:34,440 Speaker 2: fusion reaction that produced more energy than was put in. 702 00:36:34,480 --> 00:36:35,520 Speaker 2: There was a net gain. 703 00:36:36,200 --> 00:36:40,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, they called that the Right Brothers moment as far 704 00:36:40,120 --> 00:36:42,680 Speaker 1: as lasers go, sure, because you got a net gain 705 00:36:42,760 --> 00:36:44,960 Speaker 1: for the first time. They focus those lasers at a 706 00:36:45,280 --> 00:36:48,440 Speaker 1: capsule the size of a peppercorn, and that did it. 707 00:36:48,520 --> 00:36:50,359 Speaker 1: And I bet that was a great day in that lab. 708 00:36:50,480 --> 00:36:53,000 Speaker 2: I'm sure. I mean, once we get to nuclear fusion, 709 00:36:53,040 --> 00:36:56,640 Speaker 2: that's that's going to change absolutely everything. 710 00:36:57,360 --> 00:36:58,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, for sure. 711 00:36:59,719 --> 00:37:02,839 Speaker 2: So you can use it for nuclear fusion. You can 712 00:37:02,960 --> 00:37:08,600 Speaker 2: use really great lasers to recreate different, crazy exotic aspects 713 00:37:08,640 --> 00:37:12,120 Speaker 2: of the universe. There's also way more pedestrian uses for lasers, 714 00:37:12,160 --> 00:37:17,600 Speaker 2: like we said barcodes, fiber optic communication. But they're like 715 00:37:17,760 --> 00:37:20,840 Speaker 2: when you're start to look around, lasers are everywhere. Essentially, 716 00:37:20,880 --> 00:37:25,920 Speaker 2: anything you can bounce light off of or that that 717 00:37:26,000 --> 00:37:30,080 Speaker 2: will absorb light you can use a laser for for 718 00:37:30,120 --> 00:37:31,399 Speaker 2: some application or other. 719 00:37:31,960 --> 00:37:35,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, for sure, they're all over the medical industry for 720 00:37:35,280 --> 00:37:37,960 Speaker 1: in all kinds of ways. I think pretty early on 721 00:37:38,080 --> 00:37:41,160 Speaker 1: they were like, hey, these using a laser to cut 722 00:37:41,160 --> 00:37:44,000 Speaker 1: into the human body is way better than a scalpel. Sure, 723 00:37:44,320 --> 00:37:47,760 Speaker 1: it's way more precise, there's less damage on the tissue 724 00:37:47,920 --> 00:37:51,399 Speaker 1: it self kind of self cauterizes as it goes, So 725 00:37:51,520 --> 00:37:54,080 Speaker 1: it's going to be sterilizing the tissue that surrounds it. 726 00:37:54,080 --> 00:37:55,960 Speaker 1: It's going to be less blood loss, you're going to 727 00:37:56,000 --> 00:37:59,279 Speaker 1: heal up quicker. So that's there. I mean, scalpels are 728 00:37:59,280 --> 00:38:01,520 Speaker 1: still around, but you know, lasers are the way to go. 729 00:38:01,920 --> 00:38:06,400 Speaker 2: I saw that there's a brain tumor laser procedure that 730 00:38:06,640 --> 00:38:08,920 Speaker 2: uses a five millimeter hole in the skull and you 731 00:38:09,000 --> 00:38:13,440 Speaker 2: get discharged the next day. That's how accurate and amazing 732 00:38:13,480 --> 00:38:15,880 Speaker 2: these things are. Plus also, it's way easier to attach 733 00:38:15,920 --> 00:38:18,600 Speaker 2: to a robot than to give a robot a scalpel 734 00:38:18,680 --> 00:38:19,160 Speaker 2: to use. 735 00:38:19,920 --> 00:38:21,719 Speaker 1: Yeah, I hate to bring it up again, but that 736 00:38:21,800 --> 00:38:24,799 Speaker 1: was just on an episode of The Pit, that exact. 737 00:38:24,480 --> 00:38:27,000 Speaker 2: Case use that you just mentioned, the laser tumor. 738 00:38:27,640 --> 00:38:28,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, the tiny hole in the skull. 739 00:38:29,560 --> 00:38:31,719 Speaker 2: We started watching it, I gave it another try, you 740 00:38:31,760 --> 00:38:33,960 Speaker 2: me and I did, and it's it is pretty good 741 00:38:34,040 --> 00:38:34,759 Speaker 2: and engrossing. 742 00:38:35,280 --> 00:38:40,759 Speaker 1: Yeah, engross it is. Yeah, and I figured out too 743 00:38:40,840 --> 00:38:42,959 Speaker 1: watching last night, I kind of forgot the reason why 744 00:38:43,040 --> 00:38:45,720 Speaker 1: I was saying. There's so much of like of Noah 745 00:38:45,719 --> 00:38:49,400 Speaker 1: Wiley over explaining everything to all the younger doctors and 746 00:38:49,480 --> 00:38:51,400 Speaker 1: residences because it's a teaching hospital. 747 00:38:51,840 --> 00:38:53,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, there you go, which is. 748 00:38:53,640 --> 00:38:56,279 Speaker 1: A great vehicle to explain whatever the heck is going 749 00:38:56,320 --> 00:38:59,000 Speaker 1: on to the viewer at home, you know, yep, for sure. 750 00:39:00,120 --> 00:39:03,239 Speaker 1: All right, So back to medicals, since we're talking about 751 00:39:03,239 --> 00:39:06,560 Speaker 1: the PIT. If you ever had an endoscope, that's you 752 00:39:06,560 --> 00:39:09,839 Speaker 1: know when they put a long flexible tube down your 753 00:39:09,880 --> 00:39:11,640 Speaker 1: throat a lot of times, or up your nose or 754 00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:14,879 Speaker 1: who knows what holes they can put them into these days, it. 755 00:39:14,840 --> 00:39:17,240 Speaker 2: Depends if it's a rubber hose, you know where that goes. 756 00:39:17,880 --> 00:39:22,560 Speaker 1: That's right, Vinny. Essentially you can access these tough to 757 00:39:22,560 --> 00:39:25,760 Speaker 1: reach areas with these tiny little tubes, and in this case, 758 00:39:25,840 --> 00:39:28,120 Speaker 1: you can have a laser attached to it and send 759 00:39:28,120 --> 00:39:30,839 Speaker 1: it in there to shrink a tumor like you were 760 00:39:30,840 --> 00:39:31,680 Speaker 1: talking about. 761 00:39:31,520 --> 00:39:34,160 Speaker 2: Right, And then you can also use them to do 762 00:39:34,239 --> 00:39:37,160 Speaker 2: things like destroy the epidermis and then heat up the 763 00:39:37,200 --> 00:39:40,800 Speaker 2: dermis underneath to get rid of like spots or something 764 00:39:40,840 --> 00:39:45,160 Speaker 2: like that. For all sorts of esthetic dermatological applications. 765 00:39:45,480 --> 00:39:46,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, cosmetic stuff. 766 00:39:46,760 --> 00:39:49,480 Speaker 2: YEP, tattoo removal, that kind of thing. 767 00:39:49,800 --> 00:39:52,080 Speaker 1: Laser, what about lask Yeah, Lasik. 768 00:39:51,840 --> 00:39:55,200 Speaker 2: Is a big one that has become vastly improved as 769 00:39:55,360 --> 00:39:58,840 Speaker 2: lasers and robots have improved. I think it was first 770 00:39:58,880 --> 00:40:02,600 Speaker 2: started at first became approved in the US and nineteen 771 00:40:02,640 --> 00:40:05,960 Speaker 2: ninety nine, and since then it's gotten really good. I 772 00:40:05,960 --> 00:40:09,960 Speaker 2: think ninety percent of people who get Lasik have between 773 00:40:09,960 --> 00:40:14,480 Speaker 2: twenty twenty and twenty forty vision afterward. And it's like 774 00:40:14,600 --> 00:40:18,560 Speaker 2: the pool of people who are candidates for it are 775 00:40:19,200 --> 00:40:21,359 Speaker 2: is pretty wide. It's not like, yeah, if you can 776 00:40:21,520 --> 00:40:23,840 Speaker 2: if you need just like those magnifying readers that you 777 00:40:23,880 --> 00:40:27,400 Speaker 2: buy at the pharmacy. You're gonna Lasik's gonna benefit. You know, 778 00:40:27,440 --> 00:40:31,880 Speaker 2: you can have like pretty bad myopia and still benefit 779 00:40:31,920 --> 00:40:32,239 Speaker 2: from it. 780 00:40:32,920 --> 00:40:35,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, in this case, they use the laser to reshape 781 00:40:35,440 --> 00:40:39,640 Speaker 1: the cornea. Didn't you debate laser at one point? 782 00:40:39,840 --> 00:40:43,759 Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm still thinking about it. But my vision we're 783 00:40:43,840 --> 00:40:47,760 Speaker 2: basically at an age where your vision changes fairly rapidly 784 00:40:47,880 --> 00:40:50,680 Speaker 2: and you want it to stabilize or else you'd get 785 00:40:50,760 --> 00:40:53,040 Speaker 2: lasik once and then you'd end up needing glasses when 786 00:40:53,080 --> 00:40:54,760 Speaker 2: your vision degrades again. 787 00:40:55,400 --> 00:40:58,560 Speaker 1: I think Emily has been debating it to a little 788 00:40:58,600 --> 00:40:59,640 Speaker 1: bit lately. I'm not sure why. 789 00:40:59,719 --> 00:41:01,440 Speaker 2: I look into it and I was convinced, like this 790 00:41:01,520 --> 00:41:04,160 Speaker 2: is this is pretty safe and effective, and yeah, yeah 791 00:41:04,200 --> 00:41:06,160 Speaker 2: I would do it. I'm just not there yet. 792 00:41:06,719 --> 00:41:08,799 Speaker 1: I feel like when I've seen you lately, you're having 793 00:41:08,840 --> 00:41:10,880 Speaker 1: trouble with a contact. 794 00:41:10,560 --> 00:41:14,560 Speaker 2: Lens because it's been wintertime and dry. Uh it makes 795 00:41:14,560 --> 00:41:16,840 Speaker 2: them like it makes it easier for it to like 796 00:41:16,920 --> 00:41:19,920 Speaker 2: fold over something like that. Popca sucks. 797 00:41:20,640 --> 00:41:21,840 Speaker 1: I'm sorry. 798 00:41:22,200 --> 00:41:25,320 Speaker 2: There's also weapons. Of course, you can use lasers for weapons. 799 00:41:25,920 --> 00:41:28,400 Speaker 2: Apparently the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force are 800 00:41:28,480 --> 00:41:34,080 Speaker 2: developing laser weapons to different different levels of success, but 801 00:41:34,120 --> 00:41:37,319 Speaker 2: they're definitely working on them, not to necessarily like you know, 802 00:41:37,440 --> 00:41:40,880 Speaker 2: mow doown troops, but to say, blow up a drone 803 00:41:41,000 --> 00:41:41,799 Speaker 2: or something like that. 804 00:41:42,440 --> 00:41:47,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, they're called directed energy systems. Some of them attached 805 00:41:47,239 --> 00:41:52,400 Speaker 1: to like a turret on a ship. Those seem to 806 00:41:52,400 --> 00:41:54,640 Speaker 1: work pretty well for like you said, like taking down 807 00:41:54,680 --> 00:41:55,759 Speaker 1: a drone or something like that. 808 00:41:55,880 --> 00:41:56,239 Speaker 2: Mm hmm. 809 00:41:56,760 --> 00:41:59,959 Speaker 1: They have others. I think the army has one fifth 810 00:42:00,080 --> 00:42:02,720 Speaker 1: to kill a WATT that's on an armored fighting vehicle, 811 00:42:02,800 --> 00:42:06,960 Speaker 1: but that hasn't done so well because you know, for 812 00:42:07,000 --> 00:42:09,120 Speaker 1: a laser weapon to be pretty effective, it has to 813 00:42:09,160 --> 00:42:14,040 Speaker 1: be super tightly focused and pretty locked down. And they're like, hey, 814 00:42:14,080 --> 00:42:17,080 Speaker 1: we're driving this thing around and it's not very accurate, right. 815 00:42:17,520 --> 00:42:22,239 Speaker 2: And that's the Striker armored fighting vehicle, Striker with a Y. Yeah, 816 00:42:22,320 --> 00:42:24,640 Speaker 2: it's like they look to G. I. Joe stuff to 817 00:42:24,640 --> 00:42:25,799 Speaker 2: come up with ms for it. 818 00:42:26,200 --> 00:42:26,680 Speaker 1: For sure. 819 00:42:27,200 --> 00:42:30,320 Speaker 2: There's also this one's pretty sweet too. It's laser cooling. 820 00:42:30,680 --> 00:42:33,279 Speaker 2: And there's also so many different applications, like you can 821 00:42:33,600 --> 00:42:37,839 Speaker 2: you can track soil moisture from space to see how 822 00:42:37,880 --> 00:42:41,040 Speaker 2: bad a route is. You can track how badly ice 823 00:42:41,120 --> 00:42:43,759 Speaker 2: is receding in the in the polar areas. You can 824 00:42:44,080 --> 00:42:46,959 Speaker 2: you can do everything with with lasers. They're really great 825 00:42:47,640 --> 00:42:50,560 Speaker 2: in case that hasn't gotten across so far, but this one, 826 00:42:50,600 --> 00:42:53,799 Speaker 2: to me is just amazingly cool. 827 00:42:55,040 --> 00:42:58,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, no pun intended laser cooling. What they're doing is 828 00:42:58,640 --> 00:43:02,360 Speaker 1: basically kind of freezing and at them or molecule in place. 829 00:43:03,239 --> 00:43:07,480 Speaker 1: It's also called a particle trap, and it's the same 830 00:43:07,560 --> 00:43:11,080 Speaker 1: sort of physics of stimulated emission, but kind of been reverse. 831 00:43:12,600 --> 00:43:17,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, when an atom poops out a photon that kind 832 00:43:18,040 --> 00:43:21,160 Speaker 2: of pushes it in the opposite direction that the photon's traveling. 833 00:43:21,480 --> 00:43:24,759 Speaker 2: They figured out that they can use lasers to keep 834 00:43:24,880 --> 00:43:28,040 Speaker 2: to basically balance that out. So these things are still 835 00:43:28,040 --> 00:43:32,000 Speaker 2: producing photons, they're still doing their thing. They're in energetic 836 00:43:32,040 --> 00:43:34,360 Speaker 2: states and oscillating and doing all sorts of stuff like 837 00:43:34,360 --> 00:43:37,400 Speaker 2: they're supposed to, but they're just not moving around in 838 00:43:37,520 --> 00:43:41,200 Speaker 2: space while they're doing it. Yeah, So they're essentially they're 839 00:43:41,239 --> 00:43:45,400 Speaker 2: just it's like a tractor beam holding it where you 840 00:43:45,560 --> 00:43:46,080 Speaker 2: want it. 841 00:43:46,680 --> 00:43:49,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, it just slows it down such that it's basically stopped. 842 00:43:50,080 --> 00:43:53,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, but it's still doing its thing. It's not moving 843 00:43:53,040 --> 00:43:55,440 Speaker 2: around while it's doing it right. So, now that you 844 00:43:55,520 --> 00:44:00,359 Speaker 2: have an atom trapped, you can do something like this 845 00:44:00,400 --> 00:44:03,440 Speaker 2: is the future of atomic clocks. You can measure the 846 00:44:03,480 --> 00:44:08,799 Speaker 2: oscillations oscillations of that one specific atom so precisely that 847 00:44:08,920 --> 00:44:13,880 Speaker 2: atomic clocks are about to be just ridiculously more reliable 848 00:44:13,920 --> 00:44:16,440 Speaker 2: than the atomic clocks today, which I think we can 849 00:44:16,480 --> 00:44:19,719 Speaker 2: all agree are pretty reliable. So that's a huge groundbreaking 850 00:44:19,840 --> 00:44:20,400 Speaker 2: use for that. 851 00:44:21,000 --> 00:44:23,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, for sure. I mean it's easier to study something 852 00:44:23,280 --> 00:44:26,640 Speaker 1: that's sitting still exactly. Yeah. 853 00:44:26,760 --> 00:44:29,719 Speaker 2: Yeah, now that I think about it, that basically overcomes 854 00:44:29,760 --> 00:44:33,319 Speaker 2: Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, where you can't measure something and know 855 00:44:33,360 --> 00:44:36,280 Speaker 2: where it is at the exact same time. Apparently Heisenberg 856 00:44:36,320 --> 00:44:37,320 Speaker 2: didn't think of lasers. 857 00:44:38,760 --> 00:44:42,400 Speaker 1: That's a nerdiest sentence you've ever said. Oh, come to 858 00:44:42,440 --> 00:44:42,799 Speaker 1: think of. 859 00:44:42,760 --> 00:44:45,200 Speaker 2: It, you got anything else? 860 00:44:45,800 --> 00:44:47,840 Speaker 1: I got nothing else that you know, there's obviously a 861 00:44:47,880 --> 00:44:49,239 Speaker 1: lot more about it. I think that was a good, 862 00:44:49,320 --> 00:44:51,800 Speaker 1: good old fashioned overview of lasers. 863 00:44:52,040 --> 00:44:55,960 Speaker 2: Great man, And since Chuck said old fashioned, he just 864 00:44:56,040 --> 00:44:58,040 Speaker 2: accidentally triggered listener mail. 865 00:45:00,560 --> 00:45:02,800 Speaker 1: I'm going to call this an answer to a question. 866 00:45:02,840 --> 00:45:04,360 Speaker 1: I love it when we put out a question we 867 00:45:04,400 --> 00:45:08,120 Speaker 1: get answered. We were talking about color psychology, and I 868 00:45:08,200 --> 00:45:11,320 Speaker 1: wondered because I have a African American church around the 869 00:45:11,360 --> 00:45:11,920 Speaker 1: corner from me. 870 00:45:12,080 --> 00:45:13,080 Speaker 2: Oh, yes, that purple. 871 00:45:13,360 --> 00:45:16,960 Speaker 1: Actually, yeah, purple, And we heard from a listener. Hey, guys, 872 00:45:17,000 --> 00:45:19,400 Speaker 1: I'm writing to share some insight regarding the morning colors 873 00:45:20,120 --> 00:45:23,600 Speaker 1: at the nearby church. While traditions can vary between African 874 00:45:23,600 --> 00:45:26,319 Speaker 1: American churches, I hope the following information is helpful. In 875 00:45:26,360 --> 00:45:29,080 Speaker 1: the twenty first century African American traditions, it is common 876 00:45:29,440 --> 00:45:32,080 Speaker 1: for individuals attending a funeral to where the deceased person's 877 00:45:32,120 --> 00:45:34,360 Speaker 1: favorite color, which is what I thought might be happening. 878 00:45:34,400 --> 00:45:35,360 Speaker 2: Oh. 879 00:45:35,400 --> 00:45:37,920 Speaker 1: In some cases, all and attendance are encouraged to do so, 880 00:45:37,960 --> 00:45:41,640 Speaker 1: while in others it's reserved for family members. Regarding the 881 00:45:41,680 --> 00:45:45,120 Speaker 1: use of purple, specifically, this color is typically associated with 882 00:45:45,280 --> 00:45:48,799 Speaker 1: royalty in Jesus Christ. If you consistently see purple at 883 00:45:48,800 --> 00:45:51,839 Speaker 1: the church, it may be it may signify recognition of 884 00:45:51,880 --> 00:45:55,800 Speaker 1: the deceased returning to God, or maybe just the person's 885 00:45:55,840 --> 00:45:58,840 Speaker 1: favorite color. So I truly appreciate your program allows me 886 00:45:58,880 --> 00:46:01,759 Speaker 1: to stay present and provides a welcome escape from the 887 00:46:01,800 --> 00:46:04,320 Speaker 1: daily news cycle. I look forward to becoming just a 888 00:46:04,360 --> 00:46:09,520 Speaker 1: tadbit smarter as I continue to be an enthusiastic listener. Corgially, Teresa, 889 00:46:09,560 --> 00:46:10,640 Speaker 1: what a lovely email. 890 00:46:10,760 --> 00:46:13,120 Speaker 2: That was a great email, Chorisa, thank you very much 891 00:46:13,200 --> 00:46:15,440 Speaker 2: for it, and now your mystery solved. 892 00:46:15,480 --> 00:46:16,600 Speaker 1: Chuck, that's right. 893 00:46:16,920 --> 00:46:20,240 Speaker 2: We love emails that solved mysteries that we were wondering about. 894 00:46:20,280 --> 00:46:23,200 Speaker 2: So if you've got a solution to one of our mysteries, 895 00:46:23,200 --> 00:46:25,200 Speaker 2: we would love to hear it. You can also write 896 00:46:25,200 --> 00:46:27,960 Speaker 2: in for any other reason. Just send your email to 897 00:46:28,080 --> 00:46:34,160 Speaker 2: stuff podcast at iHeartRadio dot com. 898 00:46:34,280 --> 00:46:37,160 Speaker 1: Stuff you Should Know is a production of iHeartRadio. For 899 00:46:37,239 --> 00:46:41,400 Speaker 1: more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 900 00:46:41,520 --> 00:46:43,360 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.