Laser Optics

nomiss · Post by **nomiss** » Tue Feb 14, 2012 7:12 pm

Just to clarify, the table is going to be more around 60x36 inches. So now are we talking about a setup where the reflective mirror is attached to the ceiling or is this still the denisyuk setup?

holomaker · Post by **holomaker** » Tue Feb 14, 2012 8:33 pm

still a Denisyuk, with a 1/2" square mirror stuck to the ceiling .......

nomiss · Post by **nomiss** » Wed Feb 15, 2012 11:30 pm

So Im wondering about laser safety of Coherent Compass 315M-100 DPSS 532nm Laser. My mom read the safety manual for it and she is nervous about "radiation." As for eye safety, I realize it its hazardous to look directly into the beam or its reflected beam. Im thinking about getting some safety goggles for 532nm. Beside eye safety and flammability issues, what other hazards are there?

Ed Wesly · Post by **Ed Wesly** » Thu Feb 16, 2012 9:04 am

Radiation simply describes how something travels; light radiates from a source, and if you have a point source of light, it can be considered the center of a circle, and light would travel along the radii of the circle. It is the root of the word radio. It is unfortunate that the really short wavelengths give the rest of the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation a bad name and a reason to be paranoid!

And a 100 mW of green can be felt on the skin, and directly in the eye would probably cause some problems. There is a trim pot on the control dongle to crank the laser down, if you so desire, while setting things up or even shooting, as the exposure for even a 4 by 5 with 100 mW spread out to fit will be fractions of a second.

This laser is not a toy or a pointer! Always keep your mind on the task at hand!

BobH · Post by **BobH** » Thu Feb 16, 2012 11:17 am

Listen to scientists, not your mother! Mothers tell us to never ride a bicycle without a helmet (totally unnecessary), not to look at the sun with a telescope (totally safe WITH the proper filter), and not to run with scissors (just keep your fingers out of the holes).

nomiss · Post by **nomiss** » Thu Feb 16, 2012 11:28 am

The reason why I posted this was so I could get your feedback so I could show her that "radiation" in this case would not be dangerous. She views radiation as something that causes cancer and does not understand that their are many types of radiation: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, ect. I guess what freaked her out was the warning labels on the laser head which stated: "Danger, visible and invisible laser radiation." As for eye safety, I got a pair of these http://www.thorlabs.us/thorProduct.cfm?partNumber=LG2.

holomaker · Post by **holomaker** » Thu Feb 16, 2012 11:48 am

Yo Simon slow down a bit ! it looks like you just blew $180 on the wrong goggles ! These will let all that bad radiating green light thru ! dude go spend $10 on a used holography book on Ebay .......... its all in there !

nomiss · Post by **nomiss** » Thu Feb 16, 2012 12:02 pm

Thanks holomaker, I canceled the order. Im just in a rush to get all of my supplies so I can make the deadline for my project. What glasses should I get for a 532nm laser then? As for books, I have these two: The Complete Book of Holograms: How They Work and How to Make Them, Heckman, Philip. The Magic of Holography. I haven't been able to read them fully yet.

Jeffrey Weil · Post by **Jeffrey Weil** » Thu Feb 16, 2012 12:14 pm

I personally have never seen a single professional holographer wearing glasses with sub watt lasers in a holo lab. But I do see pairs in their closets they bought in their early days.

It's just not necessary, it'll actually get in your way. How can you set things up if you can't see the beam. Just be careful and watch out for reflections off of metal stuff that might get back to your eye.

Even with the laser shows I used to do, non of the people wore goggles and we were working with up to 80 watts. With all of them working for decades, it's one of the oldest companies in the world for this, not a single person there has eye damage. I would not suggest a multi watt laser like that for beginners with no protection I'm just putting it out there to make a point. Were using a few hundred miliwatts at most usually.

With your mom, this is going to be tough. I've tried to explain to people that everything on the em spectrum is "radiation". Light, visible and not, am and fm radio, all that kind of normal everyday stuff. Some is dangerous and some is not. They just won't believe me that light is "radiation".

The sticker was just saying "there's a lot of normal light coming out of this thing, it's brighter than what your used to so be careful", but its just light.

As far as a fire hazard, don't worry about that either. I know a few places that have burned down, not a single one was from lasers. Usually it's heaters either heating the room or in electroforming. A small place in the UK just had a big fire due to the electroforming tank running dry and the heater being exposed.

One of the better known holographers had a giant take of zylene and his room heater fell into it! The whole building when up.

Just be careful and you'll be fine.

Jeff W

nomiss · Post by **nomiss** » Thu Feb 16, 2012 12:27 pm

Thanks jeff Ill show my mom this post so she can gain some deeper insight into what is actually going on.