LASER Cooling

&
LASER for Fusion

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 Contents

 Introduction

 LASER Cooling

 Why LASER is used rather than the ordinary light?

 Mechanism by which LASER cooling works (Doppler cooling)

 LASER beams arrangement

 Applications

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 Introduction

 About 50yrs ago, LASERs have been invented.

 They are able to heat, vaporize, cut & weld materials.

 When a beam of light shines on a body, it gets hotter (because it absorbs the

light & transforms to heat).

 LASERs can also used to cool atoms, so how could it be used for cooling?

 An exciting thing that happened during the past 10yrs, Two Nobel prizes (in

1997 & 2001) in physics were related to the use of LASER for cooling.

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 Laser cooling
• LASER cooling is a technique that uses light to cool down atoms to a very low
temp ( near absolute zero) so that atom’s velocity get decreased.

Why LASER is used rather than the ordinary light?

 LASER beams are very narrow, very bright, can be focused into a very tiny
spots

 It achieves extremely low temperatures (10-9 K)

 In this type of application, we need light of certain frequency (wavelength)

and also need a control over frequency of the light.

 Choose the type & wavelength of LASER so that it suits for cooling atoms
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 Mechanism by which laser cooling works
• Common method is doppler cooling

• Doppler effect is the change in frequency (and

wavelength) of light (made of photons & momentum (zero
mass))

• A stationary atom sees the LASER neither red- nor blue-

shifted and does not absorb the photon

• An atom moving away from the LASER sees it red-

shifted and does not absorb the photon

• An atom moving towards the LASER sees it blue-shifted

and absorbs the photon, slowing the atom

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 :

• An atom is moving towards any of the LASER, that particular beam would
appear at a slightly higher frequency (Doppler effect)

photon frequency
actual frequency

• The LASER light is tuned to a frequency with an energy just below the energy of
an electronic transition of an atom to excite the atoms to higher state.

• The atoms will always scatter more photons from the LASER beam pointing
opposite to their direction of motion.

• This small increase in frequency makes the frequency of exactly equal to the
needed one for atomic excitation

• The photon thus absorbed and excites the atom, moving an electron to a higher
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• The atoms recoils back due to momentum provided by the photons and re-emits
a new photon in random direction coming back to its ground state
• So many ‘absorption-emission’ cycles repeated and thus atoms slows down and
thus kinetic energy decreases => temperature(random motion) decreases=>
velocity too decreases. Therefore, slow atoms are cold atoms

Low v=> Low Temp

High v=> High Temp.
• We can cool atoms to temperature that is lower than the Doppler temperature by
using (a) Zeeman effect (Zeeman tuned cooling)
(b) Dye laser beam (chirped cooling)
(c) Evaporative cooling
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 Laser beam arrangement

• Whatever we seen its in 1 Direction, so only 2

LASER beam needed.
• We know Atoms are always moves in random
motion & doesn’t move in a certain direction
• Consider 3 Direction (X,Y,Z axis) where an
atom is at centre so that we need 6 LASER beam
• This way atoms moving in any direction may
absorb photons from a LASER beam
• This simplest arrangement of LASER cooling
known by name ‘optical molasses”

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 Applications

 Construction of atomic clocks in satellites ,they are laser cooled very accurate
otherwise our phone or GPS wont work

 Atomic interferometers and atom lasers

 In the development of instruments for atom optics and atomic lithography.

 Used in quantum-mechanical behavior of atoms as matter waves

 Observation of a Bose-Einstein condensation in a dilute atomic gas

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 Contents
 Introduction

 Fusion Reaction

 Requirements for fusion

 LASER energy requirements

 How can we compress pellet? 2 methods: Direct and Indirect drive LASER fusion

 Advantages

 LASER driven fusion system problem

 Conclusion

 References

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 Introduction

 The idea of fusion is not a new term for all of us.

 Its similar to a fission.

 In fission, we broke out the nuclear force & electric energy comes out.

 In fusion, we do the opposite that we take the advantage of strong nuclear forces

 So, its the interplay btw electric repulsion and nuclear force that holds things
together.

 Fusion is the reaction in which two nuclei of hydrogen combine to form a helium
nuclei

 Fusion process powers h2 bombs & the sun and other stars

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 Fusion Reaction .

More
After combining
Tritiummass=>
• Fuel
Deuterium  D-T MoreD & T,gravitational
they lose a
1 N, 1 P
•Rare,
bit
pressure
•of
• Foundtheir
Both =>higher
mass
naturallyorindensity,
are heavy the difference
water Temp=>in
• Law of conservation of energy is (17.6MeV)
•faster
Made
•conserved
mass by bombarding
is reactions/
released
Nonradioactive
isotope astime
of hydrogen kinetic Lithium
=> energy
more
(readily
(as available inT earth’s crust) + (alpha particle)
acc Masses
energy of D E=
to E=mc^2;
produced.
E + So,
converted >>
EnergyMass
these
heat of He
reactions
(He)
2 N, 1 P

neutrons
(heavier nuclei)
m= Mass;
occur mostlyc=inSpeed
high density,
of lighthigh
in
• Weakly radioactive as it emits
vacuum
temp. environment
very low energy radiation)

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 Requirements for fusion

 Goal of fusion – to confine fusion ions at High Temperature (order

100millionºC = 10keV) & High Pressure for a long enough time to fuse

Electrostatic force Binding force

 Nuclear Force is always stronger than Electrostatic

Repulsion

 Charge independent, small distance ( cm), beyond

this short range force, forces are of Coloumb type
Structure of an atom

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• Due to presence of 2 protons (of same +ve charge), there exist coloumb force.To overcome
this repulsion, heat given,so nuclei moves faster enough and gets closer & touch each other
=> energy is released. So needed high temperatures.

• For fusion to occur, 2 nuclei of hydrogen atoms (D-T) must come closer; otherwise fusion

wont happenAt such high temp, atoms of hydrogen fuel are in a fully ionized state

known as plasma

• Plasma isn't common on earth & when used in fusion energy, its difficult to heat it
in 100 millions ºC to compress & it cant even hold it using a solid container
because it get melts

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 Laser energy requirements
 The temperature and pressure required for any particular fuel to fuse is given by Lawson
criterion nτ>=1014 cm-3
where τ = confinement time (it measures the rate of energy loss of plasma)
n= plasma density [for n=1015ions/cm3, τ must be ≥ 0.1s]
 For laser induced fusion systems (instead of nτ),
we use
where F= Fractional burn up of fuel
ʃ= Fuel density (g/ cm3)
R= Fuel radius (cm)
• 2 ways to fulfill ‘Lawson’s criteria’
• In magnetic fusion, ‘ʃ’ is limited by material property so burn efficiency increase by
extending the duration of ‘τ’
•In Inertial fusion, Newton’s law & thermal velocity limit ‘τ’, so fuel compressed to higher
densities i.e. increase ‘ʃ’ of fusion plasma
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 How do we try to do fusion?
 There are many ways to do fusion but imp to confine these hot gases :

1. Gravitational confinement

• Because of their large masses, the sun and other stars are able to hold hot
gases together.
• Energy of sun is due to thermonuclear reactions
• Plasma has a temp of 10keV(-100MILLION K),its confinement is due to
gravitational force

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2. Magnetic confinement
• Lawson criteria is satisfied under a condition while using magnetic
confinement with a Russian device (tokmark - a donut shaped reactor that
helps to keep plasma in place with magnets and heat it up).
• Here plasma not been confined for such long time

3. Inertial confinement
• The idea of fusion using laser pulses that involves compressing, heating &
confining thermo nuclear material by inertial forces

• LASER pulse interacts with thermonuclear material (that’s in form of solid pellet),
for such confinement, its not necessary to have magnetic field . here, plasma confined
by the inertia of its own mass instead of magnetic field— so the term Inertial
Confinement Fusion (ICF)
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 How can we compress pellet?
Direct drive LASER fusion
•In this approach, LASER strikes directly the pellet (fuel target)
•The rapid heating caused by the LASER makes the outer layer of the
target explode.
LASER (of high- •In keeping with Isaac Newton’s Third Law (“For every action there
energy beams) is an equal and opposite reaction”), the remaining portion of the target
is driven inwards causing compression of target=> shock wave
formed => further heats the fuel in the very center => results in a
self-sustaining burn.

millimeter sized pellet

having D-T mix

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 Indirect drive laser fusion
 LASERs focused onto the inner walls of hologram & heating it
up at 100million (100,000,000)˚C. to a superhot plasma Pellet
 Around pellet , forms a plasma envelope that radiates mostly LASER (of high-
energy beams)
in X-rays

 The X-rays (from this plasma) are then absorbed by the pellet’s hologram = burning
chambers, a cavity whose
surface, imploding it in the same way as if it had been hit with
walls are radiative
the lasers directly. (i.e. he heat & radiation converts pellet into
plasma & compress it until fusion occurs

 During the final part of the implosion, the fuel core reaches 20
times the density of lead and ignites at 100million ˚C.

 Thermonuclear burn spreads rapidly through the compressed

fuel, yielding many times the input energy so, If heat output >
heat input, the reaction is self sustaining
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 Advantages
 Abundant fuel supply (fuel used D,T)

 Safe (no uncontrolled energy release unlike fission=> less radiation than the
natural background radiation we live within our daily lives)

 Clean (as ash = helium(by product-small, its an inert gas=> no air pollution )

 Less nuclear waste (Unlike fission, what goes is Hydrogen and some lithium n
what comes out is helium (that one filled in baloons) &some neutrons

 Ensures the use of high-quality raw materials, product reliability and

functionality in a fully controlled environment. if some this goes wrong in
reactor, the fusion process stops

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 LASER driven fusion system problem

 High capital cost reactors necessary

 Building of high lasers to a stage when output energy from s/s >> input energy

 Technically complex as Design of complex targets & reliable production of

such targets with extremely good surface finish (if there any surface
irregularities > 1% of the thickness of wall => very unstable compression of
thick shells)

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 Conclusion

 What ever we see are some applications of laser

 Lasers not only used for cutting, welding or heating but we seen how a set
of intersecting lasers can be used to cool atoms

 Still research going on ICF for our future use..

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 Reference

 Thyagarajan. K. & Ghatak A K Lasers, Theory and

Applications Macmillan, 1991

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 THANK YOU!!!!

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