Yag Laser

One exceptionally common form of laser is the neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser or the YAG laser for those of us without a combined physics and chemistry degree. This laser, like other formats is available in pulse or continuous burst models, but is especially known for its ubiquitous use in the average American lifestyle. Several different medical, civilian, and military applications have been found for this relatively simple laser.

From cosmetics to the military, the YAG laser has some application at several points along that spectrum. In medicine it is used in ophthalmology, oncology, and cosmetic medicine. In ophthalmology it is used to erode unnecessary tissue in the patient’s eye. In oncology, the laser is used to remove various forms of skin cancer. In cosmetic medicine, these lasers have been used in laser hair removal, and have been the source of much public debate due to the lack of medical degree required to utilize the utensil, b6 the permanent damage that can be caused if used improperly. The next most popular application is for military range finders. From personal rangefinders in sniper teams, to range finding equipment that is mounted on tanks, artillery, aircraft, and naval vehicles, the use is nearly ubiquitous in finding the distance to the target, although this has been counteracted in recent years with laser absorbing paints. It is also used in several different modes of mapping with burst variance to determine the topography, oceanography, and vegetative density for several different sciences.