parallel-plate laser

parallel-plate laser

[′par·ə‚lel ¦plāt ′lā·zər]

(optics)

A laser which has two small parallel plates facing each other at a distance which is large compared with their diameters; one of them reflects light and the other is partially reflecting, so that light can bounce back and forth between the plates enough to build up a strong pulse.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.