Lasing CO2 from human breath

YouTube user magx1’s CO2 laser looks like it’s taking over his living room…

“Look Mom; I Lased my Breath” … Seriously, though – by exhaling into my ‘supply’ balloon, I was able to get pretty good results considering! Unlike a ‘proper’ laser mix of CO2, N2, and He; the ‘breath’ trick appears to have a much narrower pressure range over which lasing will occur. But I like it anyway – it doesn’t get much more DIY than this!

Also see the project’s Flickr set. [Thanks, Bill!]