How Laser Light Is Different From Ordinary Light

The sun, stars and fire are natural sources of ordinary light. We recognize the light received by the human eye as white, whether it is the light of a lamp or the sun. However, we do not notice the spectrum of colors that make white, except through a prism by which light can be decomposed into different components.

Let’s find out about the differences between ordinary light and laser light.

ORDINARY LIGHT

Ordinary light sources mainly emit polychromatic light and their emission is spatial. The source of ordinary light emits many rays in all directions, randomly. Ordinary light consists of a mixture of rays with different wavelengths, where each wavelength corresponds to one color that your eyes register.

THEN WHY IS THE LASER LIGHT DIFFERENT FROM ORDINARY LIGHT?

Because laser light is:

• Monochromatic - It contains only one specific wavelength and hence one color.
• Coherent - The motion of all photons is coordinated. 
• Directional - The laser beam is very narrow, concentrated and therefore, it is a high intensity source.