LECTURE 03 LASER & OPTICS 1

POPULATION OF ATOMS
The number of atoms per unit volume occupied by a particular energy state is
called population of atoms. The energy states have two types called ground state and
excited state.
GROUND STATE
The lowest available energy state is called ground state. Its lifetime is infinite.
EXCITED STATE
The excited state has two types called normal excited state and metastable state.
NORMAL EXCITED STATE
The excited state having lifetime 108 s is called normal excited state.
METASTABLE STATE
The excited state having lifetime 103 s or more is called metastable state.
EQUATION OF BOLTZMANN FOR POPULATION
The population “N” of atoms in energy state depends upon temperature “T” and
given by Boltzmann’s equation as
E

N = e kT
Where k is Boltzmann constant having value 1.38 1023 J/K or 8.61  105 eV/K.
The atoms are distributed differently in different energy states. The atoms always have
some thermal energy at temperature above 0K. The thermal energy is 0.025 eV at room
temperature(300K).
The atoms are distributed among available energy states according to their energy.
The population of atoms decreases at each state with increase of energy at thermal
equilibrium. Two physical systems are said in thermal equilibrium, if there is no net flow
of thermal energy between them when they are connected by a path.
RELATIVE POPULATION
Consider 2level energy system as shown in fig.
The population “N1” of atoms for lower energy level “E 1” is
E1

kT
N1 = e
The population “N2” of atoms for upper energy level “E2” is
E2

kT
N2 = e
The relative population is given as
E1 E2 (E 2  E1 )
N2 
kT
+
kT

kT
= e e = e
N1
2
E
N2 
= e kT
N1
E

N2 = N1 e kT

h

N2 = N1 e kT
 The relative population of atoms does not depend upon values of energy E 1
and E2. The relative population of atoms depends upon energy difference(E 2
 E1) between levels and thermal energy(kT).
 The relative population of atoms is bigger for higher temperature for certain
energy difference. All atoms are in ground state at room temperature. There
are more atoms in the lower energy state than in the higher energy state at
thermal equilibrium.
 The fraction of atoms would be large, if the energy levels are close.
For limiting case
When E = E2  E1 = 0;
E

N2 = N1 e kT = N1 e0
N2 = N1
 The fraction of atoms would be large, if temperature is large.
For limiting case
When T  
E

N2 = N1 e kT

E

N2 = N1 e 
= N1 e0
N2 = N1
 The population of the higher state cannot exceed the population of lower state
as long as the material is in thermal equilibrium.
EXCITATION
The process is called excitation when electron of the ground state receives an
amount of energy equal to the difference of energy of ground state and one of the excited
states. The electron jumps to excited state due to excitation. The phenomenon is called
induced absorption or stimulated absorption.
The absorbed energy for 2level system is given as
h = E2  E1
LECTURE 03 LASER & OPTICS 3

DEEXCITATION
The electron cannot stay in the excited state for a long time. It has to get rid of the
excess energy in order to come to the lower energy state.
The mechanism in which energy is released in the form of a photon when electron
jumps from excited state to the ground state or electron jumps between any two excited
states is called deexcitation. The phenomenon is called spontaneous emission.
The energy of emitted photon for 2level system is given as
h = E2  E1