Lecture

On

Introduction to Lasers

Dr. Rupesh Kumar .A

Assoc. Professor
Dept. of Physics
St. Mary’s Group of Institutions Guntur
How the light (radiation) will be produce?
E4 > E3 > E2 > E1 N1 > N2 > N3 > N4
 Three kinds of interactions occur between the
matter and light

 Absorption

 Spontaneous Emission
 Emission
 Stimulated Emission
 Emission
absorption (spontaneous)

E2 N2 E2 N2
hn
E

E1 N1 E1 N1

The rate of probability of The rate of probability of

transition from lower transition from higher
energy level to higher energy level to lower
energy level energy level

(P12)ab  N1 (P21)sp  N2
 u (n)
(P21)sp = A21 N2
(P12)ab = A12 N1 u (n)
Life Time :

The amount of time in which the electron or an atom will stays in the
excited level is life time.

Note: Generally the life time of an atom is 10-8 sec.

  Light is not focused

 Light is not in single

direction
 Light has many colors
(Polychromatic)

 Light is not Coherent

These two kinds of interactions are occur
between the matter and light

 Absorption
 Spontaneous Emission

From the above two processes ordinary light

(radiation) will be produce.
Q) If Stimulated Emission occurs what happens?

Q) If Photon incident on excited atom, what

happens?

Ans: No absorption possible, but instead the

photon forces the atom to jump to its
lower level, with emission of a new photons
(radiation).

This emission is called stimulated emission.

 The new wave (radiation) has

- the same direction

- the same frequency/wavelength the light is
amplified
- the same phase (coherent)

- same color (monochromatic)

This light is called LASER

How Stimulated Emission occurs?

Or

Laser will be produce?

 Emission
absorption (Spontaneous) Stimulated emission

hn
E
 Note :

To achieve lasing action it requires a laser active medium with

atleast 3 energy levels to establish population inversion.
Metastable State:

The excited state which has longer life time is called

metastable state.

Life time of atoms in

Metastable State is 10-3 sec.
 Nf

Ni

In general majority of the atoms stays in ground

state because of acquiring stability
(Ni > Nf)
 Nf
hn

Ni

Did you observe here Nf > Ni

If the number of atoms is more in the higher energy

level than the lower energy level is called as population
inversion.
 E3 N3

E
E N2
2
E1 N1

N
 E3 N3

E
E N2
2
E N1
1

N
Q) How it (population inversion)
will be achieved ?
Pumping
Metastable
state
2 – Level Pumping Scheme
 3 – Level Pumping Scheme

Metastable
state

• 13 pumping
• spontaneous emission 3 2.
• state 2 is a metastable state
• population inversion between states 2 and 1.
• stimulated emission between 2 & 1.
4 – Level Pumping Scheme
Metastable
state
Q) Why here we are discussing different
types of pumping schemes?

Q) What is the need for more than two

energy levels?
 Emission
absorption (Spontaneous) Stimulated emission

hn
E
 Population inversion
Mirror Mirror
Ef

Ei
 Spontaneous emission
Mirror Mirror
Ef

Ei
 Stimulated emission
Mirror Mirror
Ef

Ei
 Feed-back by the cavity
Mirror Mirror
Ef

Ei
 Stimulated emission
Mirror Mirror
Ef

Ei
 Feed-back by the cavity
Mirror Mirror
Ef

Ei
 After several round trips…

Mirror Mirror
Ef

Ei

Laser beam
Photons with:
- same energy : Monochromatic
- same direction of propagation : Spatial coherence
- all in synchrony: Temporal coherence
Characteristics of Laser:

1) High Brightness
2) Highly Monochromatic

3) High Directionality
4) High Intensity
5) Highly Coherent
a) same direction of propagation : Spatial coherence

b) all in synchrony: Temporal coherence

High directionality
Highly coherent
High intensity
 Components of Laser device

1) Lasing (Active) Medium 2) Energy Source

3) Optical Resonator
Ruby Laser, by T. H. Maiman, 1960
 Construction of Ruby Laser

Active Medium : Al2O3 (99.95%) + Cr2O3 (0.05%)

Mixed well and taken as rod (Ruby Rod) of length 1

cm and width 1mm

Energy Source : Xenon Flash tube

Optical Resonator : Coat with silver paste on both

sides of Ruby rod
 • Lasing from the Cr3+.
• three level laser

Al2O3 • optical pumping: 510-600nm and

Cr+ 360-450nm.
4T
• fast transition on 2E.
1 2T • lasing: 2E on 4A2,
Energy

•694nm
rapid decay
4T
2E
2

LASING
4A
2