Understanding Lasers: A Physics High Tutorial

What property of laser light makes it consist of only one color?

• Polarization

• Monochromatic nature

• Collimation

• Coherence

What does the term 'laser' stand for?

• Light amplification by simple electric radiation

• Light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation

• Light absorption by stimulated emission of radiation

• Light acceleration by simple electric radiation

Which model of the atom is used to explain the behavior of electrons in lasers?

• Thomson model

• Quantum mechanical model

• Bohr model

• Rutherford model

How does the wavelength of light relate to the energy levels in an atom?

• Wavelength is independent of the atom's energy levels

• All wavelengths correspond to the same energy transition

• Shorter wavelengths correspond to higher energy transitions

• Longer wavelengths correspond to higher energy transitions

What happens during stimulated emission in a laser?

• An electron absorbs two photons and jumps to a higher energy level

• An electron emits two photons and returns to a lower energy level

• An electron emits two photons and moves to a higher energy level

• An electron absorbs a photon and remains at the same energy level

What is necessary to achieve a population inversion in a laser?

• More electrons in the excited state than in the ground state

• More electrons in the ground state than in the excited state

• Equal number of electrons in the excited and ground states

• No electrons in the excited state

What is the significance of the electron's metastate in a laser?

• It prevents electrons from emitting photons

• It stabilizes the electron at the lowest energy level

• It allows electrons to stay excited longer, facilitating more photon emissions

• It decreases the energy of photons emitted

What role do mirrors play in a laser?

• They absorb excess light to prevent overheating

• They reflect photons to travel back and forth, increasing light amplification

• They change the color of the laser light

• They focus the light into a narrow beam

What is the purpose of the standing wave in a laser?

• To ensure the light is monochromatic

• To generate different colors of light

• To cool down the system

• To amplify the light by increasing photon interactions

Why is a laser beam highly focused?

• Because of the wide dispersion of light within the laser

• Due to the random emission of photons

• Due to the collimated nature of the beam and the use of lenses

• Because the light is not coherent