Laser Discharge Lamps
date: label: date made
content: ca 1967
name: label: maker
content: Westinghouse Lamp Company
notes: label: Description
content: The word laser stands for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation." A lasing material, a crystal for example, amplifies light energy fed into it from an external source such as a flash-lamp. Scientists and engineers refer to this as "pumping" the laser.
label: Description
content: These objects are experimental discharge lamps used to pump a crystal of yttrium-aluminum-garnet that has been treated with neodymium. Dating from about 1967 these specialized discharge lamps are similar to high pressure sodium (HPS) lamps that are commonly used in street lights. They are unusual in that they are made with clear tubes of artificial sapphire. Corning Glass made the material, called "Corstar Sapphire," that was then used by Westinghouse to make lamps. The clear tube permitted more light to pass than the typical milky-white material used in ordinary HPS street lamps, increasing the energy fed into the laser crystal.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: Subject
content: Laser
label: Subject
content: Lighting
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Electricity
label: See more items in
content: Energy & Power
label: See more items in
content: Lasers
label: See more items in
content: Science & Mathematics
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: from Daniel A. Larson
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2001.0084.01
label: accession number
content: 2001.0084
label: catalog number
content: 2001.0084.01
label: patent number
content: 3566177
objectType: label: Object Name
content: laser light pump
label: Object Name
content: discharge lamp
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: mercury (fill gas material)
label: Physical Description
content: sapphire (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (electrodes material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 20.5 cm x 1 cm; x 8 1/16 in x 3/8 in