There are various ways to get an atom`s orbital electrons to move to a
higher energy level...

Your sentence, above, triggered some questions I have had in the back of my
mind...
In older lasers, they were referred to as "pumps", and indeed the light
souce always seemed to be "strobed."
I wonder if a LED is not "strobed", either occuring as a natural property of
the LED itself, or circuitry incorporated on the LED chip, itself, which
"strobes" it?
Mainly, I have considered the above in regards to wondering about giant
sheets of polished aluminum, focusing the sun on a laser rod (or gas tube)
and beaming the energy down to the planet (as has been proposed by others),
and if someway to "strobe" the lightsouce would have to be devised? And,
this in regards to the "pump"-ing action I have heard referenced... as, if I
understand it correctly, you must kick (pump) the electrons up a level, then
let them oscillate back to their original state, then kick-pump them
again... as the actual light is generated by the electrons shifting states,
and NOT just the fact that they are at another energy level...
It seemed to me the answer would be easy to find, from a search of the
web... I was not successful...
Your thoughts/knowledge?

Regards,
John