sci.physics.particle

bob wrote:

> "Green Xenon [Radium]" wrote in message
> news:474dcdd7$0$2312$4c368faf@roadrunner.com...

>
>>Hi:
>>
>>The following is a description of my favorite laser:
>>
>>1. It emits only 400 nm light -- i.e. "black light." This is the shortest
>>wavelength the human visual system can detect

>
>
> if you could see it, it would not be black now would it?

It's still called black light

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_light

"Fluorescent black lights are typically made in the same fashion as
normal fluorescent lights except that only one phosphor is used and the
normally clear glass envelope of the bulb may be replaced by a
deep-bluish-purple glass called Wood's glass, a nickel-oxide–doped
glass, which blocks almost all visible light above 400 nanometers."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Black_light_bulb.jpg

"A black light bulb. To the human eye, the light looks much more violet."

So there you go. It maybe visible but it is still "black light"

400 nm is the longest wavelength considered "black light"



>
>
>
>>2. It is directly-pumped solely by aneutronic nuclear fusion -- no more
>>than 1% of the total energy released by the fusion is carried by neutrons
>


>
> this has nothing to do with lasers.

It does if the laser's pump source is aneutronic fusion.


>
>
>>3. The gain medium is a rare-earth crystal.
>


>
> crystals only have losses.

The *lasing medium* is a rare-earth crystal.