# Start a Laboratory

Let's talk about starting a scientific laboratory.

## Laboratory space

To start a laboratory, we will need some spaces. At the bare minimum, space should be able to host an optical table (a vibration isolation table). As an example, let's the dimension of the optical table be $\displaystyle 5~\mathrm{ft} \times 8~\mathrm{ft} = 40~\mathrm{ft^2}$ . For a safety purpose, we will probably need aisles/passageways of 3 ft wide (check with your institute for exact requirements). As a result, we will need a room of $\displaystyle (5+6)~\mathrm{ft} \times (8+6)~\mathrm{ft} = 154~\mathrm{ft^2}$ to host the optical table. However, one might need spaces for other purposes such as a working desk, a storage space, an office space, a fume hood, and an electronics bench.

## Optical components

### Optical tables

An optical table is one of a very first thing that one will need to start to build up an experimental apparatus. The surface of an optical table typically contains a rectangular grid of tapped holes in either metric (M6 on a 25 mm grid) or imperial unit (1/4-20" on a 1" grid). These surface configurations help to standardize dimensions for parts and devices used on optical tables. Many applications require that vibrations of elements on an optical table are kept small. To reduce vibration, optical tables are often heavy and are supported by vibration isolation legs.

### General optical components

The general optical components that are most used in an optical laboratory include reflection mirrors, optical lenses, beam splitter, optical polarizer, waveplate, optical fiber, laser, and many more.

### Lasers

The term laser stands for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. Light emitted from a laser is coherent, spatially coherent and temporally coherence. Spatial coherence allows a laser beam to be focused into a tiny spot. Temporal coherence allows a laser to emit light highly monochromatic. Lasers can be found in many scientific applications, including laser cooling, optical tweezers, optical imaging, optical excitation, optical interference, and many more.

## Funding

Funding is probably one of the most important ingredients to fulfill a scientific research.