LASER AND M0DES OF PROPAGATION OF EM WAVE
- 2. What is Laser? Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation •A device produces a coherent beam of optical radiation by stimulating electronic, ionic, or molecular transitions to higher energy levels •When they return to lower energy levels by stimulated emission, they emit energy.
- 3. Properties of Laser 3 The light emitted from a laser is monochromatic, that is, it is of one color/wavelength. In contrast, ordinary white light is a combination of many colors (or wavelengths) of light. Lasers emit light that is highly directional, that is, laser light is emitted as a relatively narrow beam in a specific direction. Ordinary light, such as from a light bulb, is emitted in many directions away from the source. The light from a laser is said to be coherent, which means that the wavelengths of the laser light are in phase in space and time. Ordinary light can be a mixture of many wavelengths. These three properties of laser light are what can make it more hazardous than ordinary light. Laser light can deposit a lot of energy within a small area.
- 4. Monochromacity Nearly monochromatic light Example: He-Ne Laser λ0 = 632.5 nm Δλ = 0.2 nm Diode Laser λ0 = 900 nm Δλ = 10 nm Comparison of the wavelengths of red and blue light
- 5. Directionality Conventional light source Divergence angle (θd) Beam divergence: θd= β λ /D β ~ 1 = f(type of light amplitude distribution, definition of beam diameter) λ = wavelength D = beam diameter
- 6. Coherence Incoherent light waves Coherent light waves
- 7. 7 Incandescent vs. Laser Light 1. Many wavelengths 2. Multidirectional 3. Incoherent 1. Monochromatic 2. Directional 3. Coherent
- 8. Basic concepts for a laser • Absorption • Spontaneous Emission • Stimulated Emission • Population inversion
- 9. Absorption •Energy is absorbed by an atom, the electrons are excited into vacant energy shells.
- 10. 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.
- 11. Stimulated Emission atoms in an upper energy level can be triggered or stimulated in phase by an incoming photon of a specific energy.
- 12. 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
- 13. 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. •Examples: →by lamps of appropriate intensity →by electrical discharge
- 14. Pumping •Optical: Uses flashlamps and high-energy light sources (Ruby Laser) •Electrical Discharge: application of a potential difference across the laser medium (He-Ne Laser) •Inelastic Collisions between Atoms: Atoms exchange energies with other by in-elastic collisions and gets excited due to additional absorbed energy. (He-Ne Laser) •Direct Conversion: Electrical energy is directly converted into optical energy as LASER beam (Gallium Arsenide semiconducting Laser) •Chemical Reaction: Many exothermic reactions provide essential energy for pumping of atoms.
- 15. Two level system absorption Spontaneous emission Stimulated emission hn hn hn E1 E2 E1 E2 hn =E2-E1
- 16. E1 E2 • n1 - the number of electrons of energy E1 • n2 - the number of electrons of energy E2 •Population inversion- n2>>n1 2 2 1 1 ( ) exp n E E n kT Boltzmann’s equation example: T=3000 K E2-E1=2.0 eV 4 2 1 4.4 10 n n
- 17. Resonance Cavities and Longitudinal Modes Since the wavelengths involved with lasers and masers spread over small ranges, and are also absolutely small, most cavities will achieve lengthwise resonance Plane parallel resonator Concentric resonator Confocal resonator Unstable resonator Hemispheric al resonator Hemifocal resonator c c f f c: center of curvature, f: focal point L = nλ
- 18. Transverse Modes TEM00: I(r) = (2P/πd2)*exp(-2r2/d2) (d is spot size measured to the 1/e2 points) Due to boundary conditions and quantum mechanical wave equations