Published In

Journal of Applied Physics

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-1-1997

Subjects

Lasers, Oscillations

Abstract

Laser concepts can be applied to a broad range of physical phenomena. One of the closest parallels occurs with the fluttering oscillations that are sometimes observed in the falling sheets of water associated with fountains, dams, and natural waterfalls. In many respects these fluid feedback oscillations are similar to the electromagnetic modes of typical lasers, and recognition of this similarity led to the interpretation of the waterfall behavior. Gain profiles for the waterfall oscillations are developed, and the relationship of experimental waterfall data to the laser-like models is considered in detail.

Description

This is the publisher's final pdf. Article appears in Journal of Applied Physics (http://jap.aip.org/) and is copyrighted 1997 by the American Institute of Physics. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics.

DOI

10.1063/1.366328

Persistent Identifier

http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/8185

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