Tunable laser

A tunable laser is a laser whose wavelength of operation can be altered in a controlled manner. While all laser gain media allow small shifts in output wavelength, only some types of lasers allow continuous tuning over a significant wavelength range.

There are many types and categories of tunable lasers. They exist in the gas, liquid, and solid states. Among the types of tunable lasers are excimer lasers, gas lasers (such as CO2 and helium–neon laser lasers), dye lasers (liquid and solid state), transition-metal solid-state lasers, semiconductor crystal and diode lasers, and free-electron lasers. Tunable lasers find applications in spectroscopy, photochemistry, atomic vapor laser isotope separation, and optical communications.

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