Physicist Explains Lasers in 5 Levels of Difficulty | WIRED

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  • Опубліковано 17 січ 2025

КОМЕНТАРІ • 1,2 тис.

  • @florbz5821
    @florbz5821 5 років тому +2440

    Scientist: *slaps roof of laser*
    "This bad boy can knock so many electrons off its atom"

    • @torfehmarc4977
      @torfehmarc4977 5 років тому +8

      Duch an underrated comment
      Lol

    • @xarmanhsh2981
      @xarmanhsh2981 5 років тому +7

      oh no, not this meme again

    • @nopeno2350
      @nopeno2350 5 років тому

      @@xarmanhsh2981 is this a meme

    • @JohnBehrens118
      @JohnBehrens118 5 років тому +9

      More like **Slaps backhand against palm** "This bad boy can fit so many photons per square centimeter"

    • @Astral_YT
      @Astral_YT 5 років тому

      Badum tss

  • @kevineaston
    @kevineaston 5 років тому +3846

    All the dislikes are uw students who failed Donna's class

    • @mhj4867
      @mhj4867 5 років тому +91

      it's funny because your comment have 143 likes and the video has 147 dislikes.

    • @fragon6130
      @fragon6130 5 років тому +8

      @@mhj4867 rn the comment has 161 likes on both comment and video,,

    • @liveparkour3888
      @liveparkour3888 5 років тому +6

      Lol, i liked the video thoooo

    • @thenawabkhanaal9263
      @thenawabkhanaal9263 4 роки тому +4

      its true
      i did it

    • @wearewarriorseaglesjaguars6342
      @wearewarriorseaglesjaguars6342 4 роки тому +17

      I'm still waiting for this channel to ask me to explain "How to make Authentic Mexican Tacos" to 5 different levels of difficulty, LOL! I'd kill it.. jaja

  • @missolympiabinewski
    @missolympiabinewski 5 років тому +3700

    She has a Nobel Prize in Physics. I would say that every time I said my name if I was her.

    • @K40L4
      @K40L4 5 років тому +151

      and that's one of the reasons why you will never be even close to have a NOBEL prize.

    • @missolympiabinewski
      @missolympiabinewski 5 років тому +474

      @@K40L4 Not even one of the top 100 reasons though!

    • @novagate19
      @novagate19 5 років тому +78

      Don’t worry her reaction to it hasn’t been too different. Winning the nobel has really gotten to her head.
      Source: first-hand observation

    • @Markle2k
      @Markle2k 5 років тому +116

      @@missolympiabinewski She is clearly better at research than education. I don't think her demos left the young children with much more than a gee whiz moment that they got to meet somebody that all the adults are impressed with. The 8 year-old was told to watch out for the flashing red lights at the grocery store and the 12 year-old thought that lasers could be "any color" and that their primary characteristic was to deliver a highly concentrated punch.

    • @user-sx4yu3nw4j
      @user-sx4yu3nw4j 5 років тому +43

      Markle2k agreed. This is the worst iteration of “expert explains”. She described it as a challenge at the beginning... and then proceeded to fail.

  • @sarahclouston5991
    @sarahclouston5991 5 років тому +1527

    i love how casually they are talking about coming up with the next nobel prize-winning idea

  • @liveparkour3888
    @liveparkour3888 5 років тому +3895

    i failed her class in waterloo rip
    Edit: the class was EnM

  • @SinisterCity
    @SinisterCity 3 роки тому +166

    *Dr. Donna Strickland* is a *Laser Legend.* _And don’t forget…_ *she got that Noble Prize for her invention of CPA.* Brilliant!

    • @sergiomora5702
      @sergiomora5702 Рік тому +4

      Laser Legend is something I would definitely write in my business card

  • @flytelp
    @flytelp 5 років тому +2833

    Teen: 12 Years Old??? It doesn’t even end in “teen”.

    • @johnlemon273
      @johnlemon273 5 років тому +18

      yu fony man, be praud of yuself

    • @RemusEmperor
      @RemusEmperor 5 років тому +8

      Flyte you offended me

    • @flytelp
      @flytelp 5 років тому +39

      “Tween” oh wait that’s why they’re called that :0

    • @asher3715
      @asher3715 5 років тому +2

      Flyte you are very correct

    • @LucasGarrow
      @LucasGarrow 5 років тому +43

      Twelve-teen

  • @LuccaPassos_
    @LuccaPassos_ 4 роки тому +353

    8:45 "Lasers aren't like particles" I'm sure she cried a little bit inside in wave-particle duality tears

  • @diciabadines2886
    @diciabadines2886 5 років тому +460

    What I like about this series is that an average viewer can somehow jive with conversations between two experts by spoon feeding simpler explanations first

    • @verenigingvandemagogen4548
      @verenigingvandemagogen4548 5 років тому +16

      I don’t jive, *I boogie*

    • @B30pt87
      @B30pt87 4 роки тому +7

      @DiCi Abadines, It's sometimes known as the Feynman Technique, first articulated by Richard Feynman - a great physicist a great teacher, and a wonderful, funny human being.

    • @mayapaya314
      @mayapaya314 3 роки тому

      🤣😂😂 that’s funny

  • @TMWriting
    @TMWriting 5 років тому +1534

    I’m not certain, but I think she went deeper with the 12 year old than she expected to.

    • @elmundodeFreeman
      @elmundodeFreeman 5 років тому +113

      ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

    • @tristanberlak2985
      @tristanberlak2985 5 років тому +86

      That sounds weird...

    • @verenigingvandemagogen4548
      @verenigingvandemagogen4548 5 років тому +12

      Why does that sound... inappropriate? O.0

    • @railgap
      @railgap 5 років тому +30

      I was watching the one on Gravity, and the 8-yo kid was smarter than half the adults I meet. Like, you could stop twenty people on the street and ask them what causes the tides, and half of them would ask you what the word "tides" means. >_

    • @safeer75
      @safeer75 4 роки тому

      @@verenigingvandemagogen4548 where you hiding funny bro?

  • @dariusalexandru7479
    @dariusalexandru7479 5 років тому +888

    Explanation of LASER
    For a child: actual LASER
    For an almost teen: hammer
    For a college student: slinky

  • @izzyk9504
    @izzyk9504 5 років тому +419

    Expert: What have you learnt about churped pulses?
    Me: Kindly repeat everything you said form the very beginning.

    • @LockenJohny101
      @LockenJohny101 4 роки тому

      chirped means that the frequency shifts in the pulse.

    • @TiberiusStorm
      @TiberiusStorm 4 роки тому

      @@LockenJohny101 Chirped pulse amplification is a technique for amplifying an ultrashort laser pulse with the laser pulse being stretched out temporally, then amplified, and then compressed again.

    • @LockenJohny101
      @LockenJohny101 4 роки тому +1

      @@TiberiusStorm the question was what chirped means.
      Also I have never heard the term chirped pulse amp for what you just said. But I might just have forgot it. It also isnt necessarily used on ultrashort pulses is it?

  • @SunWarrior155
    @SunWarrior155 5 років тому +169

    "Smacks those electrons right off the atoms."
    -Donna Strickland, 2019

    • @Joyexer
      @Joyexer 3 роки тому

      Best quote ever!

  • @dravy6720
    @dravy6720 5 років тому +276

    Hand against Back-of-the-Hand SMACKS : 8:33 , 11:01 , 12:20 , 14:59 , 15:31 , 16:42

    • @Astral_YT
      @Astral_YT 5 років тому +1

      DRAVY *SMAK*

    • @zk19103
      @zk19103 4 роки тому +6

      15:31 makes me feel oddly dirty

    • @TiberiusStorm
      @TiberiusStorm 4 роки тому

      Great now that's all I can see!

    • @garfieldt
      @garfieldt 4 роки тому

      smack that hand!

    • @NickSchoenfeld
      @NickSchoenfeld 4 роки тому

      Smack that electron. Smack it good! 😂

  • @Eatyomuffin
    @Eatyomuffin 5 років тому +129

    that girl is so adorable, i love how young minds think and interact.

  • @rbnlenin
    @rbnlenin 5 років тому +274

    Holy F, a Nobel laureate on Wired, that's something.

    • @astrowuff
      @astrowuff 4 роки тому +13

      I could tell she was super smart when she could not really dumb down what she did to kids so well.

  • @anchorbait6662
    @anchorbait6662 4 роки тому +142

    The twelve year old kid really impressed me. I love how curious and thoughtful he was. I wonder what he will do with his life and the things he can accomplish.

  • @gordonhenderson9592
    @gordonhenderson9592 5 років тому +329

    Haha, I feel like she overshot so hard with that 12 year old. I think she was expecting a 16/17 year old who'd done some high school science.

    • @FrelanceEQ
      @FrelanceEQ 4 роки тому +3

      and the child. no prep.

    • @psyffee3755
      @psyffee3755 3 роки тому +2

      @notfiveo still a 12 yr old

    • @annah8921
      @annah8921 3 роки тому +2

      @notfiveo What’s Mensa?

  • @villelepoaho4105
    @villelepoaho4105 5 років тому +781

    Studying high intensity lasers? Just admit it, you're a jedi.

    • @Mr_M_
      @Mr_M_ 5 років тому +22

      Well I mean... 5:53

    • @motherlessgoat72
      @motherlessgoat72 4 роки тому

      @Nathan SindlingerWell, the Jedi are supposed to be peacekeepers. Emphasis on supposed to be...

    • @whichadrian
      @whichadrian 4 роки тому +3

      Yall realise she has a Nobel prize in physics and not a Peace prize right…

    • @antoniousai1989
      @antoniousai1989 3 роки тому +1

      Lightsabers' blades are made of plasma, they aren't lasers. Like most of the blasters in the SW universe.

    • @PongoXBongo
      @PongoXBongo 2 роки тому +1

      Combining multiple smaller lasers into one big laser sounds more Sith to me (ala the Death Star).

  • @kjb9285
    @kjb9285 5 років тому +285

    No one:
    Scientist: *smacks something*
    "Smack those electrons right off the atoms"

    • @cynicap8584
      @cynicap8584 5 років тому +5

      Beat the devil out of it

    • @ninepuchar1
      @ninepuchar1 4 роки тому

      THOSE ELECTRONS, gotta SMACK them off the atoms😂😂😂.

  • @HowdaBoss
    @HowdaBoss 4 роки тому +75

    I always love listening to the experts speak, it always reminds me of the benefit of putting most of your effort and hours into something you actually love.

  • @skizzik121
    @skizzik121 5 років тому +56

    Shows necklace, "this is a physical representation of my superiority in this subject over you, BUY IT NOW IN THE NOBEL GIFT SHOP!!!"

  • @Hahahahaaahaahaa
    @Hahahahaaahaahaa 5 років тому +685

    The only real mistake is assuming a city kid in 2019 has hit a nail into a piece of wood before.

  • @chichan9013
    @chichan9013 5 років тому +1234

    I can only understand the conversation with the child.

    • @NashTheGreat
      @NashTheGreat 5 років тому +23

      My dear, stop exposing how stupid you are to the world. Btw, i swear i saw you in commenting in scmp hk riot news video as well, or i might be wrong.

    • @hoowdydave
      @hoowdydave 5 років тому +231

      Nash you need to chill my man lol

    • @bowzobetsiq4945
      @bowzobetsiq4945 5 років тому +54

      @@NashTheGreat lol just look at her Playlist, this girl is f@#&ng smart, she knows a lot of things that a normal person wouldn't even question.
      She's most likely joking. 😂

    • @NashTheGreat
      @NashTheGreat 5 років тому +10

      @@bowzobetsiq4945 stalking people's feed is not my style.

    • @peacekeeper5473
      @peacekeeper5473 5 років тому +32

      @@NashTheGreat says the one who posts videos so people can see their channel. Lol jokes on you.

  • @kumarvikramaditya9636
    @kumarvikramaditya9636 4 роки тому +24

    Donna is such an inspiration.She has immersed her life into lasers completely. I admire her for the way she says 'my laser'

  • @ATinyWaffle
    @ATinyWaffle 5 років тому +256

    *puts on glasses* Um actually, most star wars guns do not shoot lasers. They emit bolts of super heated plasma.

  • @doodelay
    @doodelay 5 років тому +226

    The first little girl has stolen my heart she's so cute and excited :D

    • @Overneed-Belkan-Witch
      @Overneed-Belkan-Witch 5 років тому +18

      FBI!!! OPEN UP!!!

    • @JohnBehrens118
      @JohnBehrens118 5 років тому +47

      @@Overneed-Belkan-Witch Your reaction to the OP says a lot more about you then his comment did about him.

    • @panquake3217
      @panquake3217 5 років тому +1

      John Behrens Pretty sure it’s a meme but go off I guess?

    • @verenigingvandemagogen4548
      @verenigingvandemagogen4548 5 років тому +6

      Calling little kids cute means pedo nowadays...

    • @kotori40
      @kotori40 4 роки тому +3

      Yes!!! She's adorable!

  • @colorofmus1s
    @colorofmus1s 5 років тому +94

    Simplest explanation: PEW PEW.

  • @focus_on_X
    @focus_on_X 5 років тому +308

    "I had an Engineering Physics degree"
    *Theorists triggered

  • @keithbarnett3055
    @keithbarnett3055 5 років тому +56

    Sounds like the Expert is trying to build a Death Star Station.

    • @Ugly_German_Truths
      @Ugly_German_Truths 3 роки тому +1

      Well she seems to think about forgoing the moon. Both in power needs and size :D

  • @adityamishrafb
    @adityamishrafb 5 років тому +722

    you could have at least got a 13 year old for the teen category.

  • @firesparkles18
    @firesparkles18 5 років тому +32

    Please make even more of these! They're honestly really good!

  • @wingbull2009
    @wingbull2009 5 років тому +69

    I've seen similar behaviour in Feringa, the 2016 nobel prize winner in Chemistry. Strongly absorbed in their own field of research, thinking to apply it to absolutely any problem they can think of. You ask them anything, they'll shoehorn their nobel prize topic in the conversation one way or another. Conversations between colleagues turn into in-jokes about them winning a nobel prize.
    I am a huge fan of the Quantum Computing Expert video, that one fits the five-level format extremely well because of how humble the presenter is about their knowledge. In this video it's interesting that we're shown Donna explaining lasers to five different people, but more because of her and her enthusiasm than because of what she teaches - and the format is just used as a way to lead into the final discussion, talking with a colleague about very optimistic future perspective.
    Very enjoyable series so far, I wonder what you guys do with the format, whether it gets perfected/concentrated or it will still be experimental.

    • @freakytea2815
      @freakytea2815 4 роки тому +11

      Agreed, she's quite insufferable here. You could play a drinking game with the number of times she says "Nobel Prize."
      I also really enjoyed the quantum computing video, and I absolutely loved the video about gravity. The scientist featured there is approachable and enthusiastic, and even though the concepts became so complex by the end that it was difficult for me to really understand what they were talking about, it made me want to learn more.

    • @QueLastima
      @QueLastima Рік тому +1

      I found all the videos interesting, but not all of them particularly educational. This one is the latter.

  • @hopsonkim4952
    @hopsonkim4952 5 років тому +144

    Can i get the 5 level explanation of what a “teen” is? I thought I knew but I guess not.

  • @dopeblacktherapist
    @dopeblacktherapist 5 років тому +37

    The little quizzes at the end of these videos gives me so much anxiety

  • @electriksheep1508
    @electriksheep1508 5 років тому +84

    between this and the video about dimension i really understood that i don't get physics at all

    • @SoundSpeeding
      @SoundSpeeding 5 років тому +12

      Physics isn't that hard to understand..... once you've got a solid decade plus of math study behind you!

    • @electriksheep1508
      @electriksheep1508 5 років тому +3

      @@SoundSpeeding yeah that i don't have

    • @cevcena6692
      @cevcena6692 5 років тому

      @@SoundSpeeding If something needs a decade of anything to be easily understood, it's not a hard subject to understand.

    • @SoundSpeeding
      @SoundSpeeding 5 років тому

      @@cevcena6692 "If something needs a decade of anything to be easily understood, it's not a hard subject to understand."
      So you are agreeing with me ;-)
      And a decade of math studying is NOTHING (I was definitely underestimating that....)

    • @chept3508
      @chept3508 5 років тому +3

      @Gian Fernandelz It is easy if you want to learn pop science or school physics bill nye tier. Lots of physics is basically high level maths differential equations, tensor calculus that you have to understand, good problem solving abilities, and also a bit knowledge of chemistry. It takes years to really get comfortable with it

  • @bleflar9183
    @bleflar9183 5 років тому +353

    She is smarter than anyone i know and will ever know, and she knows more on the topic than anyone else. But its pretty clear that she isn't a good teacher.

    • @josephblattert6311
      @josephblattert6311 5 років тому +97

      Apparently she isn't, there's a lot of angry people here who failed her class 😂

    • @bleflar9183
      @bleflar9183 5 років тому +4

      @@josephblattert6311 ehh, could you elaborate? I don't think i understood your comment correctly.

    • @josephblattert6311
      @josephblattert6311 5 років тому +29

      @@bleflar9183 you mentioned that you didn't think she was a good teacher and I was confirming your suspicion because a ton of people in this comment section took her class at University and failed it

    • @bleflar9183
      @bleflar9183 5 років тому +3

      @@josephblattert6311 Oh, ok.

    • @Name-oz4lq
      @Name-oz4lq 5 років тому +20

      Yeah she tried to convey to the little girl that a laser is small by comparing it to her huge hair 🤣

  • @elizabethbrown2463
    @elizabethbrown2463 5 років тому +362

    Yikes. I'm nearing a PhD and have trouble following her. She is amazing no doubt but needs to slow down and define things for us other people.

    • @joshwilliams8863
      @joshwilliams8863 5 років тому +19

      What about it didn't you understand? Even with her colleague, the idea of compressed energy and the Schwinger limit was fascinating!

    • @erdenebayar777
      @erdenebayar777 5 років тому +39

      Looks like we ve got a nobel prize winner here

    • @majorfallacy5926
      @majorfallacy5926 5 років тому +24

      yeah at no point did she explain why her lasers have a continuous spectrum. For all i know emission lines are pretty set in stone

    • @ammarsiddiqui4731
      @ammarsiddiqui4731 5 років тому +25

      @@joshwilliams8863 r/iamverysmart

    • @richardthurston1208
      @richardthurston1208 5 років тому +8

      @@majorfallacy5926 yeah I do kinda wish she talked a little bit about optical cavities. To give a rough idea of why the same laser could have more than one color, think about a wind instrument like a flute. A flute has a fixed cavity length but you can get lots of notes out of the same instrument (ie colors in a laser). However some notes will sound nice and loud out of a flute and others will not. For the loud notes, you'll find that if you take the length of a single wiggle and make a bunch of copies, they will fit perfectly in the length of the flute. The same thing happens in a laser cavity and by finding broad gain media you can put energy into some of the other 'notes' of the laser.

  • @GodLeftAllOfUs
    @GodLeftAllOfUs 5 років тому +89

    There's two important kinds of teachers that really bother me: (1) the ones who treat you like you're stupid and take hours to explain a simple concept and (2) the ones who teach as if everybody knew what they know and make people feel uncomfortable to ask for clarification. She's the second kind and I don't blame her.

    • @pondboy3682
      @pondboy3682 5 років тому +23

      Ever had a teacher that did both? Spend all week explaining the introduction, and then assume you already know the rest? 😲

    • @vibaj16
      @vibaj16 4 роки тому +1

      Ponderdeep yes, that’s exactly what some of my teachers are like.

  • @donamills
    @donamills 4 роки тому +13

    It's great to know that there are people this incredibly smart out there to figure this stuff out.
    And for all you out there learning this stuff, hats off to you.
    Thanks.

  • @Lasyltherni
    @Lasyltherni 5 років тому +13

    What I'm hearing is: "we made photon torpedoes and now we're working on a death star"

  • @Dkhz
    @Dkhz 5 років тому +8

    If I only had profs like her back in the days, I would have never dropped school. She's very good!

  • @markieman64
    @markieman64 5 років тому +12

    20:50 made me laugh so much! "I didn't know what it was scattering off of" 😂😂 I LOVE this series!

  • @Baleur
    @Baleur 3 роки тому +11

    "Have you seen a laser before?"
    "Well i dont have a cat, so no"
    Hahahhahhahha

  • @SeanyAU
    @SeanyAU 5 років тому +17

    My brain was not ready for this at 4am..

  • @khern4747
    @khern4747 5 років тому +349

    Teen: Twelveteen

    • @10k-y1c
      @10k-y1c 5 років тому +3

      They had one job

    • @gozinta82
      @gozinta82 5 років тому +5

      don't forget eleventeen

    • @charlesortolani8783
      @charlesortolani8783 5 років тому +1

      two teen

    • @pondboy3682
      @pondboy3682 4 роки тому +3

      Firsteen, seconteen, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen...prove me wrong! (No dictionaries, please! 😬)

  • @jakovsverdlov2326
    @jakovsverdlov2326 5 років тому +48

    Please , add a 6 level for people like me-dumbs

    • @SoundSpeeding
      @SoundSpeeding 5 років тому +2

      A zeroth level you mean?

    • @vibaj16
      @vibaj16 4 роки тому

      Sound Speed! I mean, maybe the zeroth level is them introducing themself. It truly doesn’t increase your knowledge of lasers, perfect for 0 level

  • @benpinoli5561
    @benpinoli5561 5 років тому +44

    Laser is an acronym:
    Light
    Amplification by
    Stimulated
    Emission of
    Radiation

    • @cptcaps2405
      @cptcaps2405 5 років тому +4

      *stimulated

    • @JohSmith
      @JohSmith 5 років тому +1

      @@cptcaps2405 you're right. It's stimulated not simulated

    • @s3cr3tpassword
      @s3cr3tpassword 5 років тому +1

      The precursor to laser was maser, with the ‘m’ being microwave. Scientists at the time couldn’t find a medium to stimulate optical light but were able to do it for microwave.

    • @naytchh7
      @naytchh7 5 років тому

      The man's name who pioneered lasers? Albert Einstein.

  • @nomekop777
    @nomekop777 5 років тому +11

    "Tell me a bit about yourself"
    Me: 0:51 "Well, I'm somebody"

  • @MusicBent
    @MusicBent 5 років тому +14

    I was lucky enough to tour the HERCULES laser at the university of Michigan, which was at the time (maybe still is) the most powerful chirp laser in the world.

  • @worf7271
    @worf7271 5 років тому +36

    Sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads!

  • @EwokPanda
    @EwokPanda 5 років тому +211

    "I'm an expert in lasers." "I don't like science fiction." ...... what

    • @thebatonmaster
      @thebatonmaster 5 років тому +4

      Hahahaha, I know, that's what I thought!

    • @wendtchr
      @wendtchr 5 років тому +54

      @@baderminahdin9450 that's because star wars isn't science fiction. It's fantasy. It's not trying be sci fi. Also they are not actually lasers in the star wars universe, more like plasma bolts. Though this is a later addition. But maybe tone down on the attitude and let people have fun with what they like.

    • @Matt_10203
      @Matt_10203 5 років тому +7

      @@baderminahdin9450 that might be one if the most stupid comments I've read today. Well done.

    • @electronresonator8882
      @electronresonator8882 5 років тому +8

      it's totally possible for an archaeologist to dislike Jurassic park, just look at the T-rex, they scream like a exaggerated auto-tuned lion roar..

    • @Corlio
      @Corlio 5 років тому +9

      @@baderminahdin9450 my Physics teacher (admittedly, not a Nobel laurete) is a massive sci-fi fan. I think it just depends on what you like, and if you can't suspend your disbelief, no matter who you are, you won't enjoy sci-fi/fantasy

  • @TommyLightfoot
    @TommyLightfoot 4 роки тому +11

    I'm so glad she's so proud of herself

    • @QueLastima
      @QueLastima Рік тому

      Great for her. And she's impressive. But I didn't learn anything with any clarity.

  • @MayoJenn27
    @MayoJenn27 3 роки тому +1

    Level 0 should be explaining lasers to a cat LOL

  • @supergobblin1
    @supergobblin1 5 років тому +8

    I can't tell you how much I would love to spend an a few minutes with her. I have such a huge passion for lasers and laser physics, I just don't know the best path to take to get me to the place I want to be, developing lasers.

  • @OB-806
    @OB-806 5 років тому +116

    "I particularly like high-intensity lasers"
    Yeah of course! Are there a lot of laser scientists out there who really dig low intensity lasers?

    • @zwitschimcvogel5360
      @zwitschimcvogel5360 5 років тому +31

      Depending on your application, you sometimes don't need a high intensity. There are cases where you only need a special wavelength or an extremely narrow spectrum. So I guess there are experts for these kinds of lasers

    • @connorrowe7179
      @connorrowe7179 5 років тому +11

      Quantum optics to study the behaviour of single photon beams has really cool applications in quantum computing and entanglement. This is in contrast to a high intensity laser where there are so many photons it doesn't even make sense to refer to them anymore.

    • @hs9577
      @hs9577 5 років тому +3

      She kinda has a Nobel prize in that field but who cares right?

    • @Xentrolis
      @Xentrolis 5 років тому +1

      @@hs9577 - She's made it a point to let everyone know. lol

    • @mujtabaalam5907
      @mujtabaalam5907 5 років тому +8

      Yes, physicists who study ultra-cold atoms use ultra-low powered lasers to minimize the speed of atoms those last few milikelvin.

  • @a.h.6812
    @a.h.6812 5 років тому +77

    this woman seems so smart and nice.

    • @QueLastima
      @QueLastima Рік тому

      I agree with this statement.

  • @Jaredvotesforpedro
    @Jaredvotesforpedro 4 роки тому +1

    Awe that kid was just so happy to be there, absolutely adorable :)

  • @cavalrycome
    @cavalrycome 5 років тому +24

    16:45 Break the vacuum? What does that mean, and is it a good idea?

    • @cryora
      @cryora 5 років тому +37

      It means "ionizing" the vacuum with electric fields so strong, that an electron is pulled out of the Dirac sea, creating an electron positron pair, an analogy to dielectric breakdown of say air. However the Dirac sea picture is problematic, because it does not explain anti-bosons, as bosons do not follow the Pauli Exclusion principle necessary for the electron Dirac sea. And then there's also the question of spin conservation.
      In modern physics, it has a better explanation known as pair production, where two photons are converted into an electron and positron. The photons have to get very close for this to happen, and so you are more likely to see it in sufficiently intense light. They also call it "photon-photon" scattering, because light can scatter off of the electron and positron after they are momentarily created, so it appears as though light is scattering off of light.
      It's not going to destroy the universe, because as soon as electrons and positrons are created, they are attracted to each other and will annihilate each other to return to conditions we began with. It's not the same as the "false vacuum" idea, where the vacuum as we know it might decay to a lower "true" ground state and destroy everything in the universe.

    • @cavalrycome
      @cavalrycome 5 років тому +7

      @@cryora Thanks for that detailed answer, and for reassuring me that it's not going to destroy everything in the universe. Is it an energy density that is great enough to create a miniature black hole though?

    • @mmarcelocarnaval
      @mmarcelocarnaval 5 років тому

      What is the name of the limit she mentions?

    • @cryora
      @cryora 5 років тому +11

      @@cavalrycome No, black holes are formed due to large amounts of mass packed into a small point, so large that gravity overcomes the strong bonds that give nuclei their structure. You may be able to drive nuclear reactions with intense lasers, but in that case, the nuclei will tend to explode outward, rather than inward. To force nuclei together is very difficult, because you need inward uniform pressure everywhere, otherwise the collection of particles would burst out of regions of low pressure (imagine squeezing a water balloon with your hand, eventually the water balloon will burst through the gaps between your fingers). This is a difficulty that scientists working on nuclear fusion are discovering. Miniature black hole creation using this approach is orders of magnitude more difficult, especially since you have so little of the main ingredient necessary for black holes, which is mass. The most energetic particle collisions (which occur in outer space and are a lot more energetic than even the most advanced particle colliders) do not come close to creating miniature black holes.

    • @cryora
      @cryora 5 років тому +5

      @@mmarcelocarnaval The Schwinger Limit.

  • @trulsolsen683
    @trulsolsen683 Рік тому +1

    "and the next time you're at the grocery store, take a look at the red"
    Well that's one way to blind a child

  • @alicereid3308
    @alicereid3308 5 років тому +5

    2:58
    Professor Strickland: We actually do surgery with lasers
    Girl: *Visible confusion*

  • @charlieb8735
    @charlieb8735 Рік тому +2

    I think it’s very interesting seeing how experts relay information to people with no knowledge. I think somebody with this level of expertise has such an intuitive understanding of their subject that even the simplifications can be hard to understand because things that are to most people difficult and dense concepts for the lay person are as intuitive as standing and walking. It’s really fantastic to see people of such stature in their field so their best to relay the insights they feel are most fundamental to their understanding to a wide spectrum of ages and education.

  • @ohhhbirdy5975
    @ohhhbirdy5975 2 роки тому +3

    Donna Strickland is lovely.

  • @GuruBahasaInggris
    @GuruBahasaInggris 4 роки тому +2

    I can see both experts' dedication.

  • @ZiPolishHammer
    @ZiPolishHammer 4 роки тому +28

    -Brings out "Teen"
    -Kid is Twelve
    "What part about the definition of teen did you not understand Wired?"

  • @OgeyTheTerrible
    @OgeyTheTerrible 5 років тому +1

    The manufacturing processes pictured at 5:00 and 6:34 are not lasers, but plasma. Plasma cutting utilizes a high current/low voltage signal that ionizes a focused stream of gas (typically compressed oxygen or air) which phases into the fourth state of matter (plasma). There's also a shielding gas to prevent turbulence, typically compressed air.

  • @carlosmspk
    @carlosmspk 5 років тому +5

    "Laser expert explains..."
    Last Level: Laser expert gets a whole lecture

  • @sternis1
    @sternis1 4 роки тому +6

    Dr Strickland seems like such an amazing person! She really reminds me of the teacher I had when I studied lasers at universtity. My teacher was also really great at explaining difficult subjects in a easy way, and she had (she still has) such a passion for teaching and science on all levels. And also being a Canadian! I truly hope that she and Dr Strickland would meet at some point!

  • @vertex3243
    @vertex3243 5 років тому +61

    Im a laser expert because i watch styropyro

    • @evanlynch856
      @evanlynch856 5 років тому

      You spelt laser wrong boomer

    • @Sandwich4321
      @Sandwich4321 5 років тому +1

      When the only laser in your house is 2.5w death ray

    • @vertex3243
      @vertex3243 5 років тому

      Im not a boomer i’m gen z and i cant spell (i’m 13)

    • @MerryMichaelmas
      @MerryMichaelmas 5 років тому

      @Styropyro Styropyro!

    • @nikitacheblokov8032
      @nikitacheblokov8032 5 років тому

      @@vertex3243 sadly for you, that's not gen z

  • @david203
    @david203 4 роки тому +1

    The movie Real Genius warned us that high-powered lasers can be used by the military to kill people. I think the warning should be taken seriously.

  • @yiweizhang2485
    @yiweizhang2485 5 років тому +5

    The college student didn't learn anything. She was completely confused

    • @pondboy3682
      @pondboy3682 5 років тому +1

      Maybe because she asked for math, and got a slinky! 😑

    • @yiweizhang2485
      @yiweizhang2485 4 роки тому

      @@giantworm4699 Yeah, it was hard to understand her explanations either way. She's a genius but not the best teacher perhaps.

  • @aksantitshibambuyi1248
    @aksantitshibambuyi1248 5 років тому +1

    by the 5th level the explanation becomes a conversation i love that

  • @nickwilliams9042
    @nickwilliams9042 5 років тому +42

    It doesn’t seem she explains things very well

    • @RubyChiang
      @RubyChiang 5 років тому +5

      same thought.

    • @anthonia6231
      @anthonia6231 5 років тому +14

      Thought the same!!! If I was the kid I would had walked away thinking that the register will cut my items and burn my skin off!!! Not clear at all

  • @mrnicomedes
    @mrnicomedes 5 років тому

    Didn't read any comments or the description. Got to 10:18, and was like ... wait ... is this Donna Strickland?!?!???? OMFG. Thanks for changing our world, and thanks for taking the time to make laser physics that much more accessible to everyone with this video.

    • @mrnicomedes
      @mrnicomedes 5 років тому

      And thanks for your gratuitous use of props! (-:

  • @braflynn
    @braflynn 4 роки тому +4

    I wish they would've gotten into why lasers were cool / what applications they hope they'd have, like what is the point? I loved the contribution the grad student had about isolating and eliminating cancer cells!

  • @SwissSareth
    @SwissSareth 3 роки тому +2

    "I don't have a cat".
    Well, we can't have that, can we? Somebody get that girl a cat so she can laser her.

  • @LimitedWard
    @LimitedWard 5 років тому +8

    22:26 THIS WAS A TRIUMPH. I'M MAKING A NOTE HERE: HUGE SUCCESS!

    • @PresidentialWinner
      @PresidentialWinner 5 років тому

      Aperture science confirmed. Portal gun is in the works.

  • @skyemars3367
    @skyemars3367 5 років тому +2

    I just saw her speak at AUPAC 2020, she's incredible, easily the smartest person in the room

  • @dancing-spaghetti
    @dancing-spaghetti 4 роки тому +3

    she teaches that kid the same way my teacher tried to teach me in high school and then wondered why our class was behind come the end of the year

  • @Chonps
    @Chonps 4 роки тому +2

    I love how they value different kinds of people participating in every video

  • @RaquelFoster
    @RaquelFoster 5 років тому +14

    20:25
    DONNA: We have to get into entertainment! Then there's real money!
    MIKE: You built a photon torpedo! Didn't you ever watch Star Trek???
    DONNA: I don't like science fiction.

    • @talltroll7092
      @talltroll7092 5 років тому +2

      Science and sci-fi rarely have much to do with each other these days

    • @verenigingvandemagogen4548
      @verenigingvandemagogen4548 5 років тому +1

      Sci-fi is booooooring.
      Just like the other stuff sci-fi fans are into, like anime, manga, hentai, superheroes and comic books. Plastic puppets and foam swords.

    • @majorgnu
      @majorgnu 4 роки тому

      @@talltroll7092 That's why there's a distinction between soft and hard sci-fi.
      One tries to stay in the realm of plausibility while the other is basically science-themed fantasy.

  • @thindldh
    @thindldh 8 місяців тому

    After a long time without skipping completed a video on UA-cam, excellent way to explain about lasers, this is how a learned person explains his stuff, completely thrilled especially last two sections.

  • @hannahtownsend2106
    @hannahtownsend2106 5 років тому +12

    I surprised that laser eye surgery, the types of laser that is used within it and its effects on the eye didn't come up as a topic. I would have thought it to be a big part if the commercialisation of lasers specifically within the cosmetic industry... I'm also a big nerd and would love to hear more on this topic.

  • @classicalgamer
    @classicalgamer 2 роки тому +1

    I sold a used lawn mower once years ago, the fact that I sold that has nothing to do with this video.

  • @megxo6432
    @megxo6432 5 років тому +17

    I go to the university (university of Waterloo) she works at!! 💛🖤

    • @jiasheng
      @jiasheng 5 років тому +3

      the school is a trap

    • @nabihah2674
      @nabihah2674 5 років тому

      How? Could you explain because I plan on going here for engineering

    • @KingBranDaBroken
      @KingBranDaBroken 5 років тому +6

      @@nabihah2674 hahahha

    • @XtraBrad
      @XtraBrad 5 років тому +1

      DaDorn666 ..??

    • @KingBranDaBroken
      @KingBranDaBroken 5 років тому

      @@XtraBrad you rang?

  • @johndavidwolf4239
    @johndavidwolf4239 5 років тому +2

    I was surprised that the words "coherent" and "monochromatic" were not mentioned once as when I first learned about lasers they were a "monochromatic coherent light source"

    • @snowhusk
      @snowhusk 4 роки тому

      well, i guess that's because thefunctions of the effects of both those words were described throughout conversations and therefore, there was no real need to get hung up on specific wordings.
      I also think that technically "coherent" might not be a good word for laser that are "chirped\pulsed", as that "chirping" is functionally slightly different than what exactly might be "coherent"

    • @QueLastima
      @QueLastima Рік тому +1

      A lot wasn't explained. Good thing this wasn't supposed to be Lasers explained in 5 Levels of Difficulty. Oh wait- it was.

  • @selfdiscardedkingofruin7291
    @selfdiscardedkingofruin7291 5 років тому +49

    Explain "lasers" to Dr. Evil.

    • @K40L4
      @K40L4 5 років тому +1

      Explain "freezing lasers" to Dr. Horrible.
      BAD HORSE, BAD HORSE, BAD HORSE IS BAD....

  • @checkle1
    @checkle1 5 років тому +2

    That graduate student needs a firmer handshake. Come on buddy, confidence.

  • @FingeringThings
    @FingeringThings 5 років тому +16

    White Castle expert analyzes Harold and Kumar’s metabolism

  • @MattB90
    @MattB90 5 років тому +2

    She is amazing, so smart, articulate and confident! and she absolutely killed it in that red dress

  • @jjaapp18
    @jjaapp18 5 років тому +13

    >"Teen"
    >Gets a 12 year old

    • @dozog
      @dozog 4 роки тому +1

      It fits the definition perfectly. Over 10, under 20.

  • @TranscendentPhoenix
    @TranscendentPhoenix 3 роки тому +1

    Level 0: Explain lasers to a cat

  • @rizqiefajar
    @rizqiefajar 5 років тому +10

    Do a 5 levels for acting please

  • @northernskies86
    @northernskies86 4 роки тому +1

    There should've been 6 levels: kid, teen, college student, grad student, expert, and finally Styropyro.

  • @PresidentialWinner
    @PresidentialWinner 5 років тому +4

    Did anyone notice the last guy talk about "Aperture Science" hahahaha

    • @GG256_
      @GG256_ 5 років тому

      "We do what we must, because we can." :)

    • @AhsimNreiziev
      @AhsimNreiziev 5 років тому

      I was looking for this comment!
      _[Also, first time I typed that sentence. Yay! Milestone!]_

  • @corywarshaw4100
    @corywarshaw4100 5 років тому +8

    Aperture Science... We do what we must because, we can.

  • @ClaudioBOsorio
    @ClaudioBOsorio 5 років тому +2

    I love these series.. KEEP THEM COMING!!!!!

  • @generalflaviusaetius1997
    @generalflaviusaetius1997 5 років тому +5

    This is an great episode in an awesome series. There are so many fields and experts out there. There should be more episodes and diverse ones too.

    • @QueLastima
      @QueLastima Рік тому +2

      It's actually an unclear, unhelpful episode in a pretty good series. At what points in the video did you hear her clearly explain how a laser works? I missed that. I found it half a dozen other videos, but not this one.

  • @angelogabriel6862
    @angelogabriel6862 5 років тому +2

    "I'm gonna put in your direction so you can see it."
    My grandmother is having an attack because you shouldn't point lasers to the eyes!

  • @drhaxan
    @drhaxan 5 років тому +6

    Yesssss finally another one of those videos!