Cooling the laser...

[meanfreepath]

I'm taking a break and waiting for the Ar laser to cool. It may be having problems; the laser power keeps dropping. It might be overheating, or the tube could just be nearing the end of its lifetime. If the laser dies, our experiment is shot. It doesn't help that the instrument-repair technician just retired, and I don't think they're replacing him due to budgetary reasons.