Laser Beam Characteristics

Lecture-3
Characteristics of Stimulated Emission & Optical Resonator:
* Stimulating & stimulated Photons have same
wavelength, phase, direction, and polarization
* Optical resonator support waves parallel to its axis




Laser Beam Properties:-
Coherent
Monochromatic
Low Beam Divergence / Directional : Focusibility
High Brightness
High Power and High Power Density
Tunability
Ultra-short duration pulse



LASER BEAM CHARACTERISTICS

Light!
Electromagnetic Radiation :
Carries Energy in the direction of propagation
The Electromagnetic Spectrum
Wave nature:
Transverse Wave i.e. Oscillation of electric &
magnetic fields are transverse to the direction of propagation.

Frequency = v ,
Velocity in vacuum or air, c = 3x10
8
m/s,
Wavelength = = c/ v
In a medium of refractive index n, Light velocity, v = c/n and Wavelength = c/ nv

Particle nature:
Photon Energy = hv,
Photon momentum p = hv/c
h= Plancks constant = 6.626x10
-34
J-sec. = 4.136x10
-15
ev-s
1eV= 1.6x10
-19
J

If n no. of photons are incident on a unit area of a surface per unit time and are
absorbed, the radiation pressure P = n. hv/c = I / c, I Power per unit area

1kW Laser Beam focused to 0.5mm diameter spot will exert a pressure of
p = 1x10
3
/ [t.(0.25x10
-3
)
2
x3x10
8
] = 17N/m
2

{Compare with 1 Atm. Pressure = 1x10
5
N/m
2
}

Plane of Oscillation of Electric Vector : Polarization
Plane polarized light: Detection through Analyzer-
Signal in one orientation of analyzer only when it is
aligned along the direction of polarization
Unpolarized light:
Detection through Analyzer
Same signal in all orientation of analyzer
Randomly polarized light
Detection through Analyzer Random signal at
any position of analyzer

Circularly polarized light: Two mutually orthogonal plane polarized waves of
equal amplitude and 90
0
phase difference.
Detection through Analyzer & then passing
through a phase retarder which introduces 90
0
phase shift in one of the polarization which
makes the wave plane polarized
Elliptically polarized light:
Two mutually orthogonal plane
polarized waves of unequal
amplitude and 90
0
phase difference.
Laser Power, P
L
Joule /s = W
Laser Energy, E
L
= Laser Power P
L
x Laser Pulse Duration t
p
Joule

Laser Power Density = Laser Intensity I = P
L
/ Area of beam W/cm
2
Laser Energy Density = E
L
/ Area of beam J/cm
2

Photon energy density = J/cm
3
Photon no. density = n /cm
3

Line width =Av Hz, cm
-1
( Hz/c, light velocity)


P
L
t
p
Definitions:
E
2
E
1
E
n
e
r
g
y

hv
0
= E
2
-E
1
v
0
Av Narrow
Line width:
E
2
E
1
E
n
e
r
g
y

hv
0
= E
2
-E
1

Av = (AE
2
+AE
1
)/h
v
0
= n.h.v

I = .c = n.h.v.c
Laser
Power
Av Large
Line width
Lecture No.3
Laser Beam Properties
1. Coherence: Phase correlation of
wave in time and space.
Temporal Coherence: Phase
difference constant in time. Related to
spectral width of laser light, Av i.e.
Monochromaticity, t
c
= 1/Av
Spatial Coherence: Constant in space,
Low divergence of laser beam
Tight focusing of laser beam
2. Monochromaticity:
Spread in frequency of laser
beam is very small,
Typical Av ~ 10
6
-10
9
Hz,
Best = 10-100Hz.
White light, Av ~ 10
14
Hz
Monochromatic & Coherence:
Incoherent beam
Time
S
p
a
c
e

Perfect Coherent
Spatially
Coherent
Perfect
Coherent
Spatially
Incoherent
3. Directionality: Beam of finite size has certain divergence.
Only infinite size wave front will have zero divergence.
Constant illuminated beam of diameter d and wavelength has
half divergence angle u
1/2
= 1.22 / d.
The best quality laser beam of beam waist size w
0
, u
1/2
= / t w
0
.
For = 0.633m & w
0
= 0.5mm, u
1/2
= 0.4milliradian = .07
0
.





4. High Focusibility:
This is owing to low divergence of laser beam
Focal spot diameter d
spot
= f.u = 4f. /tD
r
;

Smallest spot diameter for F = f/D
r
= 1,
d
spot
~ . (Laser Wavelength)
Low divergence of laser beam -
An important property for LMP.

u
1/2
= 1.22 / d.
u
1/2
= / t w
0
.
w
0
d
Gaussian Intensity
5. High Brightness:
B= Laser or Source Power / [Area of Light Source . Solid Angle]
Area of Laser Beam = t.w
o
2
Solid angle = tu
2
= t. (/t.w
o
)
2
=
2
/t.w
o
2

B= P
L
/
2
Comparison with the Brightness of Sun
Brightness of Sun B
s
= / 2t = T
4
/2 t
= 5.6710
12
(6,000)
4
/ 2 t

= 1.210
3
Watt / cm
2
/ Sr

1mW He-Ne Laser, = 633 nm

B
L
= 2.5x10
5
W/cm
2
/Sr.

1mW He-Ne Laser is ~200 times brighter than Sun
Never direct Laser Beam to Eyes!!

6. High Power & High Power density:

Laser Power (CW) = mW- 10s kW

Pulse Energy = mJ- 10sJ in ms- 10s fs
Peak powers = kW TW (10
12
W)

Typical Focal spot ~ 10- 100m
Power density on a spot = 10
6
- 10
17
W/cm
2

Any material can be melted and evaporated, even formed plasma with a
focused laser beam.

Typical : 300W/cm
2

at focus, f =100mm

Sun's light irradiance
at ground 1 kW/m
2
5kW CO
2
Laser
Power Density at
focus, f = 100mm
~ 6x10
7
W/cm
2
2x10
5
times higher
7. Wide range of Laser Operation Mode in Time Domain:
Continuous Wave,
Millisecond Pulses,
Microsecond,
Nanosecond,
Picosecond down to
a few Femto second :

Light beam of a few Oscillation & It travels only a few
micron distance during this time interval.
All events are almost frozen in this time duration!
Free Laser Oscillation :
Solid State Lasers : 1-20ms

Q-switch : 10s ns

Mode-locking : ns- ps

Laser pulse compression : 10s fs

TEA CO
2
Laser : Microsecond
8. Wavelength Tunability of Laser
E
2
E
1
E
n
e
r
g
y

hv
0
= E
2
-E
1
v
0
Narrow Line width:
Monochromatic
E
2
E
1
E
n
e
r
g
y

hv
0
= E
2
-E
1

Av = (AE
2
+AE
1
)/h
v
0
Large Line width Av:
Less Monochromatic
M
1
Laser
Medium
Etalon
M
2
Etalon: Narrow Line-width
Rotation of Etalon: Tuning of Laser
Wavelength over Av
v
L
9. Lasers covering wide Wavelength range :
Mid- Infrared ( 10s micron) to UV ( 0.2 micron)