2006-09-09 13:23:59 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science
The power is an absolute rating, it depends on the size of the beam. 3mw over 1si won't, over 1um it would burn a hole through your hand!
2006-09-09 16:07:49 · answer #1 · answered by Sleeping Troll 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
A plastic trash bag is most often made with polyethylene plus some additives. PE is transparent in much of the IR, so an IR laser is unlikely to cause melting. Assuming that the laser wavelength is absorbed, there is a rate equation. The maximum temperature will be attained when the rate of power input equals radiative and conductive losses. The laser beam size and pulse rate determine the instantaneous power density per unit area (input). If the beam is focused to a small area and has short (ps or fs) pulses, the instantaneous temperature will be the pulse energy divided by the specific heat of the plastic.
2006-09-10 02:19:42 · answer #2 · answered by d/dx+d/dy+d/dz 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋