How are masers and lasers similar?
1 Answer
Masers produce light in the microwave region of the electromagnetic spectrum whereas the light given off by a laser lies in the visible region of the EM spectrum.
Explanation:
Lasers and masers are similar as they both produce intense beams of radiation that has been given off by the excitation of atoms. Laser stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation, hinting on the fact that it produces a beam of coherent monochromatic light in the visible region of the spectrum.
Maser stands for Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation, which tells us that is functions in much the same way as a laser does, the only difference being that masers produce light in the microwave region of the electromagnetic spectrum, whereas the light given off by a laser lies in the visible region of the EM spectrum.
In summary, the main similarity between masers and lasers is that both types of device produce light that is monochromatic and coherent, in different wavelengths.
