laser light and magnets

[polishedball]

Can magnets have any effect on laser light?

[swamidog]

You'd have more luck with desktop black holes.

Can magnets have any effect on laser light?

[WookieBoy]

Ummm... according to my rusty through little use physics... Yes.

But you'll only really notice the effect if they're bloody big ones!

[polishedball]

Well I was looking for a waveplate mount, I have some round magnets with the perfect size hole in them. It would be easy to mount and easy to adjust just roll it around and it stays in place and then just epoxy. Was just concerned putting the beam straight through it.

[dnar]

Can magnets have any effect on laser light?

.

I am glad you asked.

Only with magnets comprising Fe2O3 with traces of handwavium, a secret isotope of wishalloy. The Fe2O3 must be bonded with Unobtanium filaments. These filaments are crystal tubes enclosing one dimensional space. The effect is achieved by first inducing superconductivity in a planar space and then continuously deforming the crystal plane enclosure into crystal tube. One dimensionality is achieved the superconducting current breaks symmetry to split into a gravitational component and a very strong nuclear force component. The very strong nuclear force component strengthens the filament along the longitudital direction and the gravitational component binds the crystalline matrix to the filament. These magnets should not be excessively stressed. When an unobtainum filament is stressed the resistance of the very strong nuclear force component strengthens the gravitational component. If the stress is sufficient the filament collapses into a black hole string which explodes via the Hawking effect.

[Laserman532]

PB, Yes magnets can affect laser beams...At SP we used what is called a Unidirectional Device which is a series of very powerful magnets with a glass polarizer
plate between them and from what I can recall...The device allowed the ring laser to lase in only one direction when inserted as an intra cavity device.

I would bet that Dr. Steve Roberts could shine a bit of "light" on the subject....so to speak. I just dont remember my ring lasers like I used to from 28 years ago.

[chad]

Unless I am missing something, nothing short of the Event Horizon of a black hole can effect light. Plasma however, is very easy to manipulate with magnets.

Chad

p.s Dnar: That is a very impressive stream of techno-babble-bullshit.

[Laserman532]

http://www.rp-photonics.com/ring_lasers.html

[chad]

Key word being in material.
You are thinking of a Faraday rotator. This happens in a crystal, to the crystal not the light I think.

chad

[Laserman532]

In material...true....so the ring must have lased in different polarizations and when it (the device) was inserted it forced the polarization to be rotated adding to the other polarization. I remember it was an allum. housing with two very strong opposing magnets and when inserted it would take the gain out of one leg and add it to the other...the ring was optimized by rotating the device while looking at a power meter. So technically i guess it didnt affect the light...

thanks for stirring the cobwebs!