Laserthumb|250px|Lasers rouges (660 & ), verts (532 & ) et bleus (445 & ). thumb|250px|Rayon laser à travers un dispositif optique. thumb|250px|Démonstration de laser hélium-néon au laboratoire Kastler-Brossel à l'Université Pierre-et-Marie-Curie. Un laser (acronyme issu de l'anglais light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation qui signifie « amplification de la lumière par émission stimulée de radiation ») est un système photonique.
Quantitative phase-contrast microscopyFORCETOC Quantitative phase contrast microscopy or quantitative phase imaging are the collective names for a group of microscopy methods that quantify the phase shift that occurs when light waves pass through a more optically dense object. Translucent objects, like a living human cell, absorb and scatter small amounts of light. This makes translucent objects much easier to observe in ordinary light microscopes. Such objects do, however, induce a phase shift that can be observed using a phase contrast microscope.