Current and Future Prospects for High Power Lasers in the Aerospace Industry

Abstract

THERE are two main types of lasers in use in industry today. These are CO2 gas lasers, which emit a light beam with a wavelength of 10.6 microns, and solid state lasers, generally Nd:YAG (Neodimium Ytrium Aluminium Garnet) with a wavelength of 1.06 microns. However, the use of lasers in the aerospace industry to date is relatively limited for the following reasons:

Citation

Hoult, A.P. (1989), "Current and Future Prospects for High Power Lasers in the Aerospace Industry", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 61 No. 9, pp. 14-27. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb036840