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What is Laser?
Light Amplification by Stimulated
Emission of Radiation
• A device produces a coherent beam of
optical radiation by stimulating electronic,
ionic, or molecular transitions to higher
energy levels
• When they return to lower energy levels by
stimulated emission, they emit energy.
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Properties of Laser
• Monochromatic
Concentrate in a narrow range of wavelengths
(one specific colour).

• Coherent
All the emitted photons bear a constant phase
relationship with each other in both time and
phase

• Directional
A very tight beam which is very strong and
concentrated.
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Basic concepts for a laser

• Absorption

• Spontaneous Emission

• Stimulated Emission

• Population inversion
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Absorption

• Energy is absorbed by an atom, the electrons

are excited into vacant energy shells.
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Spontaneous Emission

• The atom decays from level 2 to level 1 through

the emission of a photon with the energy hv. It is
a completely random process.
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Stimulated Emission

atoms in an upper energy level can be triggered

or stimulated in phase by an incoming photon of
a specific energy.
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Stimulated Emission
The stimulated photons have unique properties:

– In phase with the incident photon

– Same wavelength as the incident photon

– Travel in same direction as incident photon

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Population Inversion
• A state in which a substance has been
energized, or excited to specific energy levels.
• More atoms or molecules are in a higher excited
state.
• The process of producing a population inversion
is called pumping.
• Examples:
→by lamps of appropriate intensity
→by electrical discharge
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How a laser works?

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1. High-voltage electricity causes the

quartz flash tube to emit an intense
burst of light, exciting some of Cr3+
in the ruby crystal to higher energy
levels.

2. At a specific energy level, some

Cr3+ emit photons. At first the photons
are emitted in all directions. Photons
from one Cr3+ stimulate emission
of photons from other Cr3+ and the
light intensity is rapidly amplified.
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3. Mirrors at each end reflect the

photons back and forth, continuing
this process of stimulated emission
and amplification.

4. The photons leave through the

partially silvered mirror at one
end. This is laser light.
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Two-level Laser System

• Unimaginable
as absorption and stimulated processes
neutralize one another.

• The material becomes transparent.

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Three-level Laser System

• Initially excited to a
short-lived high-energy
state .
• Then quickly decay to
the intermediate
metastable level.
• Population inversion is
created between lower
ground state and a
higher-energy
metastable state.
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Three-level Laser System

τ 3 << τ 2 τ1 << τ 2
Nd:YAG laser
λ = 1.06 µ m
τ 2 ≈ 2.3 × 10− 4 s

He-Ne laser
λ 1 = 3.39 µ m λ 2 = 0.6328 µ m
λ 3 = 1.15 µ m

τ ≈ 100ns τ1 ≈ 10ns
2
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Four-level Laser System

• Laser transition takes

place between the
third and second
excited states.

• Rapid depopulation of
the lower laser level.
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Four-level Laser System

τ 3 << τ 2

Ruby laser

λ1 = 0.6943µm
λ2 = 0.6928µm

τ ≈ 10 s τ ≈ 3 ⋅ 10 s
−7 −3

3 2
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Laser Construction

• A pump source

• A gain medium or laser medium.

• Mirrors forming an optical resonator.

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Laser Construction
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Pump Source
• Provides energy to the laser system
• Examples: electrical discharges, flashlamps,
arc lamps and chemical reactions.
• The type of pump source used depends on
the gain medium.
→A helium-neon (HeNe) laser uses an
electrical discharge in the helium-neon
gas mixture.
→Excimer lasers use a chemical reaction.
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Gain Medium
• Major determining factor of the wavelength of
operation of the laser.
• Excited by the pump source to produce a
population inversion.
• Where spontaneous and stimulated emission
of photons takes place.
• Example:
solid, liquid, gas and semiconductor.
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Optical Resonator
• Two parallel mirrors placed around the
gain medium.
• Light is reflected by the mirrors back into
the medium and is amplified .
• The design and alignment of the mirrors
with respect to the medium is crucial.
• Spinning mirrors, modulators, filters and
absorbers may be added to produce a
variety of effects on the laser output.
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Laser Types
• According to the active material:
solid-state, liquid, gas, excimer or
semiconductor lasers.

• According to the wavelength:

infra-red, visible, ultra-violet (UV) or x-ray
lasers.
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Solid-state Laser

• Example: Ruby Laser

• Operation wavelength: 694.3 nm (IR)
• 3 level system: absorbs green/blue

•Gain Medium: crystal of aluminum oxide (Al 2O3)

with small part of atoms of aluminum is replaced
with Cr3+ ions.
•Pump source: flash lamp
•The ends of ruby rod serve as laser mirrors.
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Liquid Laser
• Example: dye laser
• Gain medium: complex organic dyes, such
as rhodamine 6G, in liquid solution or
suspension.
• Pump source: other lasers or flashlamp.
• Can be used for a wide range of
wavelengths as the tuning range of the
laser depends on the exact dye used.
• Suitable for tunable lasers.
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dye laser

Schematic diagram of a dye laser

A dye laser can be considered to be basically a four-level system.

The energy absorbed by the dye creates a population inversion, moving the
electrons into an excited state.
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Gas Laser
• Example: Helium-neon laser (He-Ne laser)
• Operation wavelength: 632.8 nm
• Pump source: electrical discharge
• Gain medium : ratio 5:1 mixture of helium and neon
gases
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He-Ne laser

λ1 = 3.39 μm λ2 = 0.6328 μm λ3 = 1.15 μm

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Applications of laser
• 1. Scientific
a. Spectroscopy
b. Lunar laser ranging
c. Photochemistry
d. Laser cooling
e. Nuclear fusion
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Applications of laser
2 Military
a. Death ray
b. Defensive applications
c. Strategic defense initiative
d. Laser sight
e. Illuminator
f. Rangefinder
g. Target designator
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Applications of laser
• 3. Medical
a. eye surgery
b. cosmetic surgery
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Applications of laser
• 4. Industry & Commercial
a. cutting, welding, marking
b. CD player, DVD player
c. Laser printers, laser pointers
d. Photolithography
e. Laser light display
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Reference

http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Laser
http://www.asamnet.de/~birners/public_html/laser.html
http://vcs.abdn.ac.uk/ENGINEERING/lasers/lasers.html
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Some links: lasers for sale

http://www.lasersurplus.com/lasers.htm
http://www.midwest-laser.com/html/ilt5490a___ilt5470k.html
http://www.hhr-lasers.com/
http://www.coherentinc.com/
http://www.spectra-physics.com/
http://www.continuumlasers.com/

How lasers work

http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/courses/tech238g/Lasers.html
http://www.clf.rl.ac.uk/Public/index.htm
http://www.m2m.ecs.soton.ac.uk/Default.asp?id=283