Editing Laser (section)

=== Examples by power ===
[[File:Lying down on the VLT platform.jpg|thumb|Laser application in astronomical [[adaptive optics]] imaging]]

Different applications need lasers with different output powers. Lasers that produce a continuous beam or a series of short pulses can be compared on the basis of their average power. Lasers that produce pulses can also be characterized based on the ''peak'' power of each pulse. The peak power of a pulsed laser is many [[orders of magnitude]] greater than its average power. The average output power is always less than the power consumed.

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
|+ The continuous or average power required for some uses:
|-
! Power !! Use
|-
|align=right| {{nowrap|1–5 mW}} || [[Laser pointer]]s
|-
|align=right| {{nowrap|5 mW}} || [[CD-ROM]] drive
|-
|align=right| {{nowrap|5–10 mW}} || [[DVD player]] or [[DVD-ROM drive]]
|-
|align=right| {{nowrap|100 mW}} || High-speed [[CD-RW]] burner
|-
|align=right| {{nowrap|250 mW}} || Consumer 16× [[DVD-R]] burner
|-
|align=right| {{nowrap|400 mW}} || DVD 24× dual-layer recording<ref>{{cite web |url=http://elabz.com/laser-diode-power-output-based-on-dvd-rrw-specs/ |title=Laser Diode Power Output Based on DVD-R/RW specs |date=April 10, 2011 |publisher=elabz.com |access-date=December 10, 2011 |archive-date=November 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111122224656/http://elabz.com/laser-diode-power-output-based-on-dvd-rrw-specs/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|align=right| {{nowrap|1 W}} || Green laser in [[Holographic Versatile Disc]] prototype development
|-
|align=right| {{nowrap|1–20 W}} || Output of the majority of commercially available solid-state lasers used for [[Micromachinery|micro machining]]
|-
|align=right| {{nowrap|30–100 W}} || Typical sealed CO<sub>2</sub> surgical lasers<ref>{{cite web |url=https://aesculight.com/case-studies/what-do-independent-laser-surgery-experts-advise-on-how-to-select-a-surgical-veterinary-laser/ |title=How to select a surgical veterinary laser |last=Peavy |first=George M. |work=Aesculight |access-date=March 30, 2016 |date=January 23, 2014 |archive-date=April 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160419134604/https://aesculight.com/case-studies/what-do-independent-laser-surgery-experts-advise-on-how-to-select-a-surgical-veterinary-laser/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|align=right| {{nowrap|100–3000 W}} || Typical sealed CO<sub>2</sub> lasers used in industrial [[laser cutting]]
|}

Examples of pulsed systems with high peak power:
* 700 [[terawatt|TW]] (700×10<sup>12</sup> W){{mdash}}[[National Ignition Facility]], a 192-beam, 1.8-megajoule laser system adjoining a 10-meter-diameter target chamber<ref>Heller, Arnie, "[http://www.llnl.gov/str/JulAug05/VanArsdall.html Orchestrating the world's most powerful laser] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121173542/https://www.llnl.gov/str/JulAug05/VanArsdall.html |date=November 21, 2008}}." ''Science and Technology Review''. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, July/August 2005. Retrieved May 27, 2006.</ref>
* 10 [[petawatt|PW]] (10×10<sup>15</sup> W){{mdash}}world's most powerful laser as of 2019, located at the [[Extreme Light Infrastructure|ELI-NP]] facility in [[Măgurele]], Romania.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dragan |first1=Aurel |title=Magurele Laser officially becomes the most powerful laser in the world |url=https://business-review.eu/tech/magurele-laser-part-of-eli-project-reached-maximum-power-of-10-petawats-197989 |website=Business Review |access-date=23 March 2021 |date=13 March 2019 |archive-date=April 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414114412/https://business-review.eu/tech/magurele-laser-part-of-eli-project-reached-maximum-power-of-10-petawats-197989 |url-status=live}}</ref>