laser (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of &ltsomethings>: (Not bad from very old memory.) A device that created an intense beam of coherent light. It can be used for illumination or burning. In a CD-Rom drive it is used to illuminate the pits in the CD for reading. In a CD-Burner, it is used to burn (or melt) the pits. Some CD-Rom drives use lasers operation at different frequencies, some have separate lasers (IIRC) for reading and burning.

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• RandyKramer - 09 Feb 2002
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