Lasers

LASER
• LASER amplifies light – Light Amplification
by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.
• An optical oscillator - monochromatic,
highly coherent output.
• Formation of electromagnetic standing
wave within a cavity (optical resonator).

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Basic principles of Lasing action
➢ Electrons are found in specific energy levels of
an atom

• Absorption

• Spontaneous Emission

• Stimulated Emission
 Absorption

• Energy is absorbed by an atom, the electrons are excited

into vacant energy shells.
• For light, Photons with the correct wavelength can cause an
electron to jump from the lower to the higher energy level. The
photon is consumed in this process.
• When an electron is excited from one state to that at a higher
energy level with energy difference ΔE, it will not stay that way
forever
 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.
• The emitted photon has random direction, but its
wavelength matches the absorption wavelength of
the transition.
 Stimulated Emission

• Atoms in an upper energy level can be triggered

or stimulated in phase by an incoming photon of
a specific energy.
 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

 Necessary requirement for
Lasing action
If n1 > n2
• radiation is mostly absorbed absorbowane E2
• spontaneous radiation dominates.
if n2 >> n1 - population inversion
E1
• most atoms occupy level E2, weak absorption

• stimulated emission prevails

• light is amplified

Necessary condition:
population inversion

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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: Molecules need to be pumped into
a higher energy state.
• Examples:
→by lamps of appropriate intensity,
→by electrical discharge
➢.
Laser Device Components
All laser devices have the basic following
components:
1-A laser medium, which can be a solid, liquid, or
gas.
2-An optical cavity or laser tube having two mirrors,
one fully reflective and the other one partially
transmissive, which are located at either end of the
optical cavity.
3-An external power source which excites or
“pumps” the atoms in the laser medium to higher
energy level
•
Laser system

Optical pumping
Electrical pumping
Chemical pumping
Properties of Laser Beams
➢The most characteristic properties of laser
beams are :
• Monochromaticity
• Coherence
• Directionality
• Brightness ( Intensity )
Unique Properties of Lasers:
Laser light has unique properties compared with other
light sources. These properties are:

1 – Monochromaticity
▪ The color of the light is determined by the length of
its wave (λ).
▪ Laser light is single colored light (has one λ, or
monochromatic).
▪ Each type of lasers has single wavelength.

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 Light bulb

laser
2 – Directionality :
• This Figure illustrates the highly directional nature
of light produced by a laser.
Directionality"
• is the characteristic of laser light
• to travel in a single direction within a narrow cone
of divergence.

Directionality of laser light 17

3 – Coherence:
All the photons in any laser light are coherent, i.e. they are in

phase, while photons in other light sources have no relation

between them, i.e. they are out of phase.

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This figure illustrates the light waves within a highly coherent
laser beam. All of these individual waves are in step, or "in
phase," with one another at every point. "Coherence" is the
term used to describe the in-phase property of laser beam.

Coherent light
waves

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4 – High intensity:

▪ Laser light is the intense light ever be known.

▪ Each laser type has its own intensity which can be defined
as the number of photons emitted per unit surface area( per
unit solid angle) .

▪ Even lasers with low intensity, compared with other lasers,

are intense more than the sun light.

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Properties of
Laser Beams
Classification
Lasers may be classified according to the type of
active medium, region of emitted wavelength or
mode of operation
1-According to the active medium, lasers are
classified to : solid, gas, liquid and
semiconductor lasers
▪ Solid lasers : Ruby laser ( aluminum oxide )
crystal (chromium doped ) ,Nd: YAG
(neodymium-doped: yttrium, aluminum garnet )
▪ Semiconductor –Gallium Arsenide laser (
diode laser )
▪ Liquid laser : The dye material is dissolved in an solvent,
like methyl alcohol
Gas lasers :
▪ Atom :He-Ne (Helium –Neon )
▪ Molecule : Co2 (Carbon Dioxide ). N2(
Nitrogen )
▪ Ion: Ar+ (Argon ion ), (Krypton ion )

2-According to the spectral region of the

emitted laser, the classification is : Ultra Violet
UV, visible and Infra Red( I.R. lasers).
3-Based on the mode of operation lasers are
classified to : continuous wave (CW), pulsed
and ultra short pulsed lasers.
 Einstein Relations
• Rates of absorption, spontaneous and
stimulated emission – mathematical
relation.
• Atomic system in thermal equilibrium - rate
of upward transitions = rate of downward
transitions.
• Population of two energy levels described
by Boltzmann statistics.

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 Boltzmann Statistics
• If N1, N2 - density of atoms in energy levels E1
and E2, g1, g2 - degeneracies of the levels, K -
Boltzmann’s constant T - absolute temperature,
then

• Upward transition/absorption rate proportional to

N1 & spectral density ρf of the radiation energy
at transition frequency f.
B12 – Einstein Coefficient of
Absorption 26
 Einstein Relations
• Atoms in higher/excited energy state can
undergo electron transitions from level 2 to level
1 spontaneously/stimulated by radiation field.
• Spontaneous lifetime (τ21) - average time an
electron exists in excited state before transition.
• Spontaneous emission rate = N2 x 1/τ2 = N2A21,
N2 – density of atoms with energy E2, A21 -
Einstein coefficient of spontaneous emission.
• Stimulated emission rate = N2ρf B21, B21 -
Einstein coefficient of stimulated emission, ρf -
spectral density.
 Einstein Relations
• Total transition rate from level 2 to level 1

• Thermal equilibrium, upward & downward

transition rates must be equal R12 = R21.

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 Einstein Relations
• Substitute N1/N2,

• Atomic system in thermal equilibrium

produces radiation density identical to
black body radiation.
• Radiation spectral density for black body
radiating within frequency range f to f + df
given by Planck’s Relation.
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 Einstein Relations
• Planck’s Relation

• Hence, Einstein’s Relation

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 Einstein Relations
• When g1 = g2, probabilities of absorption and
stimulated emission are equal.

• For systems in thermal equilibrium spontaneous

emission is dominant.
• For coherent emission and amplification of light
beam, stimulated emission rate to be increased.
• Radiation density & population density of upper
level N2 to be increased versus population
density of the lower level N1 (Inversion).
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Population Inversion

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 Population Inversion
• Thermal equilibrium - lower energy level
E1 of atomic system contains more atoms
than the upper energy level E2, N1 >N2.
• To achieve optical amplification create a
nonequilibrium distribution of atoms, N2 >
N1.
• Excite atoms into upper energy level E2
using external energy source - ‘pumping’.

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 Population Inversion
• Pumping - apply intense radiation (from optical
flash tube/high-frequency radio field).
• Atoms excited into higher energy state through
stimulated absorption.
• Two-level system does not lend itself to suitable
population inversion.
• Equally degenerate (or not degenerate) levels
B12 = B21, probabilities of absorption and
stimulated emission equal, equal populations in
two levels.

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 Population Inversion
• Population inversion obtained in systems
with three or four energy levels.
• Central metastable state - atoms spend
unusually long time.
• Stimulated emission/lasing occurs from
metastable state.

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Lasing

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 Three Level - Lasing
• Initially, atomic distribution follow Boltzmann’s
law.
• With pumping some electrons excited from the
ground state into higher level E2.
• E2 is a normal level, electrons rapidly decay by
nonradiative processes to E1 or E0.
• Empty states will always be provided in E2.
• Metastable level E1 exhibits longer lifetime than
E2, allows large number of atoms to accumulate
at E1.

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 Three Level - Lasing
• Over a period the density of atoms in N1
increases above the ground state N0 -
population inversion.
• Stimulated emission and hence lasing can
occur, radiative electron transitions between E1
and E0.
• Drawback - requires very high pump powers,
terminal state of laser transition is the ground
state - more than half of ground state atoms to
be pumped into metastable state for population
inversion.
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 Four Level - Lasing
• Lower pumping
requirements.
• Pumping excites atoms from
ground state into E3 and
decay rapidly to metastable
level E2.
• Populations of E3 and E1
unchanged.
• Small increase in number of
atoms in E2 creates
population inversion.
• Lasing occurs between E2
and E1.
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 Optical feedback and laser
oscillation
• Photon collides with an atom, in excited energy
state causes stimulated emission of a second
photon, both these photons release two more -
avalanche multiplication.
• Electromagnetic waves associated with these
photons are in phase, amplified coherent
emission obtained.
• Contain photons within laser medium, maintain
conditions for coherence for lasing.

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 Lasing
• Placing or forming mirrors
(plane or curved) at either
end of the amplifying
medium.
• Optical cavity provides
positive feedback of photons
by reflection at the mirrors at
either end of the cavity.
• Fabry–Pérot resonator - after
multiple passes net gain can
be large, one mirror made
partially transmitting, useful
radiation escape from the
cavity.

n- refractive index, q- integer

 Lasing
• Stable output at saturation when optical gain is
matched by losses in the amplifying medium.
• Absorption & scattering in amplifying medium,
absorption, scattering and diffraction at mirrors and
non-useful transmission through mirrors lead to
losses.
• Oscillations occur in laser cavity over a small range
of frequencies where cavity gain is sufficient to
overcome losses.
• Device not perfectly monochromatic source, emits
over a narrow spectral band.
• Laser oscillation also in a direction transverse to the
axis.
 Gain curve
Broadened Laser
• Discrete emission frequencies Transition

Discrete
Emission
• Different frequencies of Frequencies
oscillation within laser cavity
depends on integer values of q,
each constitutes a resonance or
mode.
• Modes separated by frequency
interval

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• Q-switching and mode-locking are two
techniques used to generate short pulses in
lasers:
• Q-switching: Modulates the laser cavity
quality factor (Q).
• Mode-locking: Achieved by introducing a fixed
phase relationship between the modes of the
laser cavity.

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