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The most common solid laser media are rods of ruby crystals and neodymium-doped glasses and crystals(1). The ends of the rod are fashioned into two parallel surfaces coated with a highly reflecting nonmetallic film(1). Solid-state lasers offer the highest power output(1). They are usually operated in a pulsed manner to generate a burst of light over a short time(1). Bursts as short as 12 � 10-15 sec have been achieved, useful in studying physical phenomena of very brief duration(1). Pumping is achieved with light from xenon flash tubes, arc lamps, or metal-vapor lamps(1). The frequency range has been expanded from infrared (IR) to ultraviolet (UV) by multiplying the original laser frequency with crystal-like potassium di-hydrogen phosphate, and X-ray wavelengths have been achieved by aiming laser beams at an yttrium target(1).
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