Lasers can be utilized to drill or cut material. One such laser generates a series of high-intensity pulses rather than a continuous beam of light. Each pulse contains 500mJ of energy and lasts 9.0ns. The laser fires 10 such pulses per second.
a) A lens focuses the laser beam to a 10 m diameter circle on the target. Through a pulse, what is the light intensity on the target?
b) The intensity of sunlight at the surface of the earth at midday is about 1100 W/m2. What is the ratio of the laser intensity on the target to the intensity of the midday sun?