Lasers in Alaska
by Richard Collins
Saturday, January 26, 2013 at 2 p.m.
Schaible Auditorium, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Lecture Summary:
When the first working laser was reported in 1960, it was described as "a solution looking for a problem." Before long the laser's distinctive qualities—its ability to generate an intense, very narrow beam of light of a single wavelength—were being harnessed for science, technology and medicine. Today, lasers are everywhere: from research laboratories at the cutting edge of quantum physics to medical clinics, supermarket checkouts and the telephone network. In Alaska, lasers are outdoors and take measurements from below the sea surface to the edge of space. Measurements include that of noctilucent clouds in the upper atmosphere, the meteorology of the middle atmosphere, forest fire smoke, fish, oil spills, and terrestrial mapping. This talk will present some of these applications of lasers on the Last Frontier.
Presenter Biography:
Richard L. Collins has worked at the University of Alaska Fairbanks since 1994, when he joined the Geophysical Institute as a research professor of space physics. He is currently a Professor of Atmospheric Sciences. His research is primarily based in the Lidar Reseach Laboratory at Poker Flat Reseach Range. He works on laser radar (lidar) studies of the environment. As an instructor he has also developed and teaches the class Weather and Climate of Alaska.