Abstract
The current interest in the use of lasers, be it for scientific investigations or for industrial applications, is directly linked to the unique properties of laser light. The high spatial coherence achieved with lasers permits extreme focusing and directional irradiation at high energy densities. The monochromaticity of laser light, together with its tenability, opens up the possibility of highly selective narrow-band excitation. Controlled pulsed excitation offers high temporal resolution and often makes it possible to overcome competing dissipative mechanisms within the particular system under investigation. The combination of all of these properties offers a wide and versatile range of quite different applications.
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© 1996 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Bäuerle, D. (1996). Introduction. In: Laser Processing and Chemistry. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-03253-4_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-03253-4_1
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-662-03255-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-662-03253-4
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