Communication

Laser light can travel a large distance in outer space with little reduction in signal strength. Because of its high frequency, laser light can carry, for example, 1,000 times as many television channels as are now carried by microwaves. Lasers are therefore ideal for space communications. Low-loss optical fibres have been developed to transmit laser light for earthbound communication in telephone and computer systems. Laser techniques have also been used for high-density information recording. For instance, laser light simplifies the recording of a hologram, from which a three-dimensional image can be reconstructed with a laser beam.