An intense laser pulse can ionize the atoms in a gas , separating electrons from protons to produce a plasma .
高强度激光脉冲能电离气体中的原子，分离电子与质子形成等离子体。
In 2004 a group led by see leang chin of laval university in canada used an infrared laser to ionize nitrogen atoms , the recombining ions and electrons then emitting light coherently .
They were using the laser to excite and ionize the atoms liberated by the heat of the flame in order to measure the characteristic emissions of different flames .
当时他们用这种激光来激发并电离那些被火焰的高温裂解出来的原子，目的是测量不同火焰的特征辐射。
However , this approach calls for a very powerful laser , and chin 's group obtained only a very small gain coefficient , which means the researchers had to ionize a long stretch of air to get any significant lasing action .
