Module-4 :Laser Principles and Engineering

Applications

 Laser characteristics
 Spatial and Temporal Coherence
 Population Inversion
 Energy levels (two, three, four)
 Laser pumping
 Laser gain coefficient
 Nd-YAG, He-Ne, CO2, Dry laser
 Laser engineering applications
LASER
Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation

Three basic processes

Absorption
Spontaneous Emission
Stimulated Emission

E1 : ground state or lower energy level

E2 : excited state or higher energy level
Einstein coefficients of the process

Thermodynamic measure of probability of absorption,

emission process of light represents with Einstein
coefficient A and B

Einstein coefficient A related to spontaneous emission

Einstein coefficient B related to absorption and stimulated
emission
Einstein coefficients A and B

N2 N2 N2
E2 E2 E2

N1 N1 N1
E1 E1 E1
Stimulated absorption: B Spontaneous Emission: A Stimulated Emission: B

Let n be the number of photons per unit volume at frequency, such that

h  E2  E1
Energy density

 ( )  nh
Einstein coefficients A and B

A21 8 h 3
 3 B12  B21
B21 c
Einstein relations of laser

Significance

The stimulated emission rate per atom is the same as the

absorption rate per atom

The ratio between spontaneous emission and stimulated

emission is proportional to ν3

The probability of spontaneous emission rapidly increases

with the energy difference between the two states
Population Inversion
To achieve more stimulated emission population of the
excited state N2 should be made larger than the lower state
N1 and this condition is called population inversion.

N2
N2
E2 E2

N1 N1
E1 E1

N1  N 2 N 2  N1
Laser
Ordinary light