Re: Most efficient laser?

Richard Saam wrote:
Question:

What is the most efficient laser
as far as (power output) / (power input)

It could be expressed in many units
perhaps:

photons/watt

Richard D. Saam

In photons per watt, a CO2 laser is almost certainly the champ. It's about the most efficient gas laser around, watt for watt, and its photons are about 20 times less energetic than visible ones, so you get a boost of 20x right there.

In terms of (beam power)/(wall plug power), diode lasers win hands down--slope efficiencies of over 25% are common.

Cheers,

Phil Hobbs
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Intensity and what else affects a single ligth beams temperature?
    ... instant, multiply them together and integrate, getting the average power. ... Actual power is obtained by averaging the product of voltage and current ... the beam from the CO2 laser (or any other laser or beaming ... mole of photons. ...
    (sci.physics.relativity)
  • Re: Solar powered lasers in space
    ... question to me is why not have solar power in the desrt and be done ... in the desert using the energy that comes from the Sun anyway. ... The laser energy is converted by the silicon ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: Solar powered lasers in space
    ... question to me is why not have solar power in the desrt and be done ... You add the satellite to lower costs... ... BACKGROUND LASER POWER SAT ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: Solar powered lasers in space
    ... question to me is why not have solar power in the desrt and be done ... each 1000 watts solar put in. ... The laser energy is converted by the silicon ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: antimatter rockets
    ... a year sending clean power to Earth. ... 488 MW laser in space can accelerate a sapphire dielectric sail to 10% ... energy to multiple points on Earth using 4 wave mixing of laser energy ... Expanded energy use on Earth ...
    (sci.space.policy)