For K-12 Students · Gaussian Beam
Gaussian Beam for a laser pointer
Built for k-12 students learning it in middle or high school. Watch the idea come alive with plain-language steps and everyday examples — perfect for projects and homework. Simulate a laser pointer live below — adjust the inputs and watch it respond, right in your browser.
Gaussian BeamLive
how a laser beam spreads
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Presets
A real laser beam is not a perfect ray — it narrows to a minimum waist then spreads. Within one Rayleigh range of the waist it stays roughly collimated; beyond, it diverges at an angle set by wavelength over waist size. Tighter focus means faster spreading — the fundamental diffraction trade-off behind every laser and telescope.
Data Inspector
Rayleigh range0.012 m
Divergence4.03 mrad
Waist50 µm
Governing equation
Reading this result: Divergence is set by λ/(π·w₀): shrinking the waist or lengthening the wavelength both make the beam spread faster — the core diffraction trade-off.
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Frequently asked questions
- Is this good for k-12 students?
- Yes — this version of "Gaussian Beam for a laser pointer" is framed for k-12 students learning it in middle or high school. Watch the idea come alive with plain-language steps and everyday examples — perfect for projects and homework.
- Do I need to install anything?
- No. It runs in any modern browser, free, with no account required.