5. Tunable laser applications

The laser is a concentrate of light at the spatial, temporal and spectral levels. Its range of applications is immense. With a tunable laser, these remarkable properties can be combined with great flexibility of use, further expanding the possibilities. The applications of tunable lasers can be divided into two groups. In the first, we seek to make the laser interact with matter via absorption. As absorption bands are specific to each substance, tunable lasers are required. The second category covers all applications that do not use this basic process. These include lasers for non-contact measurement or optical telecommunications systems.