Lecture 7: Pulsed lasers

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+ 1 Ray and wave optics
+ 2 Light beams and beam optics
+ 3 Optical resonators
+ 4 Photon optics
+ 5 Optical gain
+ 6 Laser oscillation
+ 7 Pulsed lasers
8 Electromagnetic optics and crystal optics
9 Second-order nonlinear optical effects
10 Third-order nonlinear optical effects
11 Electro-optics
12 Acousto-optics
13 Ultrafast optics
14 Laser spectroscopy and microscopy
15 Laser fabrication and materials processing
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Laser operation in CW mode

During CW operation gain = loss. If lasing threshold is exceeded by increase

in the average pump rate, the stimulated emission rate and laser emission
rate also increase. No energy can be stored in the gain medium. 3
Pulsing light with flash lamps (e.g., in camera)
✦ Condensator accumulates electrical powerful pulse generated by
energy from charging unit; plasma discharge in Xe gas
✦ Condensator voltage exceeds threshold
voltage for plasma discharge;
✦ Plasma discharge consumes energy in
the condensator and stops, producing
short light pulse
✦ External triggering can be used to
initiate the pulse

short pulse
longer pulse
intensity

time (ms)
4
Pulsing light with lasers

External modulator (-) Internal modulator (+)

• beam is opened for a desired time • resonator is opened at a desired time

• beam power is wasted while • amplifier power is accumulated while
modulator is closed modulator is closed
• pulse power can not exceed cw • powerful pulse is emitted when
power modulator is opened

1) Gain switching, 2)Q-switching, 3) cavity dumping, 4) mode-locking

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Gain switching
Pumping is turned on and off
• In optically-pumped lasers, using flashlight or another laser
• In electrically pumped lasers (e.g. semiconductor) by modulating pump
current/voltage
✦ Pulse start and end times are defined
by timing of the pump;
✦ Widely used in optical
telecommunication systems,
semiconductor laser is electrically
triggered producing digital information
sequence, e.g. 011010101;
✦ In semiconductor lasers minimum
pulse length is determined by time
required to inject e-h pairs by an
electrical pulse and to deplete their
density after the electrical pulse is
finished.

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Transient photon number density
Steady-state
Atomic population
photon
difference
density
(per unit volume)

Transient

threshold
population
difference

resonator photon
loss gain
photon lifetime

this term corresponds

to the photon number
Differential equation for
(1) photon number density
increase

photon lifetime

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Transient population difference

For three-level
system pump
W

(non-radiative decay is negligible)

N = N2 N1 population difference
total number
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small-signal population difference in the

of atoms
absence of amplifier radiation
(see analysis of 3-level pumping scheme)

(2)

generation of one photon reduces population difference by 1+1 atoms 8

Output dynamics for gain switching
Gain switching is accomplished by turning the pumping rate R on and off.
Precise temporal variation of n(t) depends on tsp, τp, Nt and on/off gain
values, and can be obtained by numerical solution of the rate equations
(1) and (2)

(small signal population density)

laser output

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Quality switching (Q-switching)
• Pumping is constantly ion
• Resonator quality is modulated by introducing controllable loss (e.g., absorption)
• Pump energy is stored in the gain medium during low-Q time (high absorption)
as extra population inversion
• Accumulated energy is released as a pulse during high-Q time (low absorption)

external signal

giant pulse

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Principle of Q-switching (movie)

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Output dynamics for Q- switching
Q-switching is accomplished by suddenly decreasing resonator loss
coefficient αr from large value (=high threshold NT) to low value (= low
threshold NT)

laser output

giant pulse
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Q-switched pulse characteristics
If duration of the generated optical pulse is much shorter than tsp, and effects of pumping
and spontaneous emission are negligible in comparison with effects of induced transitions
during the pulse time.
peak pulse power

pulse energy

pulse duration

initial conditions (t=0):

n=0, N=Ni
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Pulse power
pulse energy
Average pulse power = =
pulse length
10-3J
= = 105W = 10 kW
10x10-9s

peak pulse power > average pulse power

same laser without Q-switch, power = 0.1 mW

for comparison:

100W (~2%) 26kW 100kW

~2W

incandescent Kawasaki KLR650 Gasoline Toyota Prius 1.8L (2010 )

lamp DualSport 650 cc
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Cavity dumping
• Pumping is constantly on
• Resonator loss is modulated by increasing/decreasing reflectivity of output
coupler (resonator loss)
• Pump energy is stored in the form of photons (rather than population
difference) during the off-time.
• All light is fully locked in the cavity, without absorption
• When reflectivity of the output coupler is decreased, stored energy is
released as a pulse

Mirror
transmittance

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Cavity dumping methods

With AOM

With EOM

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Mode locking
• Phase difference between several longitudinal resonator modes is fixed (locked) by
modulating cavity losses;
• The locked modes interfere destructively everywhere in the cavity, except for one
location where they interfere constructively, generating periodic train of short
propagating pulses;
• Laser emission is a dynamic steady-state process

Pulse

phase-locked
cavity modes
phase-locked modes

position in
independent “free running” the cavity
longitudinal modes
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Mode-locking animation

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Mode-locked pulse train
Total field inside the cavity is the sum of all oscillating longitudinal modes

complex envelope of mode q

For M modes (q = 0, ±1, ±2, ±S) with equal amplitudes Aq = A

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Shape of mode-locked pulse train depends on the number of modes M.
If M≈Δν/νF, τpulse = TF/M ≈ 1/Δν

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Passive Q-switching and mode-locking
saturable absorber element
受動的Qスイッチ 飽和吸収素子

gain medium

飽和吸収の概念図

Inside the resonator

“lucky accident”
no atoms :( ジャイアントパルス

フルエンス
飽和フルエンス
max
low
absorption

absorption
coefficient

coefficient

time
吸収率

intensity
吸収率

open
high
intensity
0 フルエンス
intensity 0 frequency
吸収飽和フルエンス time
absorption saturation fluence 21
Active Q-switching and mode-locking
With Acousto-Optical modulator (AOM)

Acousto-optical effect: modification of local piezo-electric effect: size of a crystal is modified

refractive index by a propagating acoustic wave by an applied electric field and vice versa

open time

> 80% light energy is

closed dumped out during
time
closed time

g g ion
a t
Br frac
dif
AOM

gain medium

diffraction grating induced by

> 80% piezo-electric transducer
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Summary of short pulse generation methods
Gain switching
• Optical pumping by flash lamp
• Electrical pumping by current pulses (in semiconductor lasers)

Q-switching and mode-locking

Mechanical Active

Electro-optical Active

Acousto-optical Active

Saturable
absorber Passive

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Nd:YAG microchip laser
Alignment-free monolithic solid-state lasers where the gain medium is directly
contacted with the end mirrors of the laser resonator. Such lasers are usually
pumped with a laser diode, either directly or via an optical fiber.

high reflectance at λ=1064 nm

low reflectance at λ=808 nm Thermal lensing
Output
coupler y
Micro
chip

satur
pumping by diode laser at ab
absor le
λ=808 nm ber I(y) ~T(y) ~ n(y)

★ physical resonator volume ~1mm3 ★ output power up to 1W

★ pulse wavelength 1060nm ★ pulse repetition frequency up to 1 MHz
★ pulse length ≈ 600ps ★ compact, simple design
★ pulse energy ~100 μJ (10-6J) at low ★ used in laser micro-machining and medicine
repetition rate 24
Important points

❖ Methods for short pulse generation in lasers; their similarities

and differences;
❖ Gain switching and its basic features;
❖ Q-switching and its basic features;
❖ Cavity dumping and its basic features;
❖ Mode locking and its basic features;
❖ Relation between cavity length and pulse repetition rate in
mode-locked operation.