1.

Basics of LASER Physics

Dr. Sebastian Domsch (Dipl.-Phys.)

Computer Assisted Clinical Medicine

Medical Faculty Mannheim
Heidelberg University
Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3
D-68167 Mannheim, Germany
[email protected]
www.ma.uni-heidelberg.de/inst/cbtm/ckm

Outline: Biomedical Optics

1. Lecture - Basics of LASER Physics

Historical Background

Properties of Light

Maxwells Equations

Wave Particle Dualism

Geometric Optics

2. Lecture - LASER Principle

3. Lecture - LASER Systems
4. Lecture - LASER Resonators
5. Lecture - LASER Tissue Interactions 1

6. Lecture - LASER Tissue Interactions 2

Biomedical Optics Basics of LASER Physics

Dr. Sebastian Domsch I Slide 2/29 I 12/10/2015

Literature

Biomedical Optics Basics of LASER Physics

Dr. Sebastian Domsch I Slide 3/29 I 12/10/2015

LASER
A LASER is a device that emits light through a process
of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of
electromagnetic radiation
LASER
Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation

LASER Light
short light pulses,
spatial coherence focusing to a tight spot over long distances
Laser Applications
Laser Cutting
Laser Printers
Optical Disc Drives
Barcode Scanners
Laser Pointer
Laser Surgery
Fiber Optic
Free-Space Communication
Distance measurements (LUNAR LASER Ranging Experiment: precision < 4cm!!)
many more
Biomedical Optics Basics of LASER Physics
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Historical Background

Biomedical Optics Basics of LASER Physics

Dr. Sebastian Domsch I Slide 5/29 I 12/10/2015

Discovery of Stimulated Emission in 1917

Albert Einstein
* 14.3.1879 (Ulm, Germany) 18.4.1955, (Princeton, USA)

Biomedical Optics Basics of LASER Physics

Dr. Sebastian Domsch I Slide 6/29 I 12/10/2015

1960 First LASER Constructed

Theodore Harold Maiman

* 11.7.1927, Los Angeles, USA
5.5.2007, Vancouver, Canada

Biomedical Optics Basics of LASER Physics

Dr. Sebastian Domsch I Slide 7/29 I 12/10/2015

First LASER systems: 1960

Theodore H. Maiman (*1927, L.A./USA)
Pulsed Solid-State
LASER
Hughes Research Laboratories (CA/USA)

Ali Javan (*1926, Teheran/Iran)

Continuous-Wave (CW) Gas
LASER

Bell Telephone Laboratories (NJ/USA)

Biomedical Optics Basics of LASER Physics
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Nobel Prize in Physics in 1964

for fundamental work in the field of quantum electronics, which has led to the
construction of oscillators and amplifiers based on the maser-laser principle

Charles Hard Townes

Nikolay Gennadiyevich Basow

Aleksandr Mikhailovich Prokhorov

* 28.7.1915, Greenville, USA

27.1.2015, Oakland, USA

* 14.12.1922, Usman, Russia

1.7.2001, Moscow, Russia

* 11.7.1916, Atherton, Australia

8.1.2002, Moscow, Russia

Theoreticl work: MASER

principle -> LASER

Concept of optical pumping

Biomedical Optics Basics of LASER Physics

Dr. Sebastian Domsch I Slide 9/29 I 12/10/2015

1960 First LASER Constructed

Theodore Harold Maiman

Biomedical Optics Basics of LASER Physics

Dr. Sebastian Domsch I Slide 10/29 I 12/10/2015

Physical Basics

Biomedical Optics Basics of LASER Physics

Dr. Sebastian Domsch I Slide 11/29 I 12/10/2015

Properties of Light

Biomedical Optics Basics of LASER Physics

Dr. Sebastian Domsch I Slide 12/29 I 12/10/2015

Wave Particle Dualism of Light

Tissue

LASER

Matter

Light

Einstein (1905)
De Broglie (1924)
Wave-like behavior
of electrons

Particle:
Photoelectric effect
(Nobel Price 1921)

Geometric

Quantum
optics

particle

Optics

wave

Biomedical Optics Basics of LASER Physics

Dr. Sebastian Domsch I Slide 13/29 I 12/10/2015

Properties of Light
Electromagnetic Wave

Light Quanta

(t)=I0ei

Photons ()

I0

= c : dispersion in vacuum

E = h = pc
p=h/

: wave length

E: energy

: frequency

p: momentum

c: light velocity = 3108 m/s

h: Plancks constant

Biomedical Optics Basics of LASER Physics

Dr. Sebastian Domsch I Slide 14/29 I 12/10/2015

Electromagnetic Spectrum

Geometric
Optics

Quantum
optics

(wave
character)

(particle
character)

visible spectrum: = 400 700 nm, = 7,5 4 1014 Hz

Biomedical Optics Basics of LASER Physics
Dr. Sebastian Domsch I Slide 15/29 I 12/10/2015

Light - Electromagnetic (EM) Waves

EM Fields:
- defined by two vector fields:

electric field: E( r , t )

magnetic field: H( r , t )

- caused by
electric charges
electric currents

Biomedical Optics Basics of LASER Physics

Dr. Sebastian Domsch I Slide 16/29 I 12/10/2015

EM Wave

electric field:
E( r , t )

magnetic field: H( r , t )

wave vector:
k( r , t )

|k| = 2 /

Biomedical Optics Basics of LASER Physics

Dr. Sebastian Domsch I Slide 17/29 I 12/10/2015

Electromagnetic Fields in
Dielectric Media

Biomedical Optics Basics of LASER Physics

Dr. Sebastian Domsch I Slide 18/29 I 12/10/2015

Dielectric Media Non-Conducting

electric displacement field:

D 0E P
electric field

magnetic induction:

B 0H M
magnetic field

polarization

Biomedical Optics Basics of LASER Physics

Dr. Sebastian Domsch I Slide 19/29 I 12/10/2015

magnetization

Maxwells Equations (static fields)

1. Charges are the sources of electric fields

D
Gausss Theorem

D dA q( V )

Divergence of electric
field is created by charges

2. Magnetic monopoles do not exist

B 0
Gausss Theorem

B dA 0

In
the
absence
of
magnetic
monopoles,
divergence
of
the
magnetic field lines is
always zero.

Biomedical Optics Basics of LASER Physics

Dr. Sebastian Domsch I Slide 20/29 I 12/10/2015

Maxwells Equations (dynamic fields)

3. A changing magnetic field creates an electric field

B
E
t

4. Magnetic fields are created by electrical current and by changing electric fields

D
H Jf
t

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Dr. Sebastian Domsch I Slide 21/29 I 12/10/2015

Geometric Optics

Biomedical Optics Basics of LASER Physics

Dr. Sebastian Domsch I Slide 22/29 I 12/10/2015

Geometric Optics
At a planar dielectric surface

Reflection
Refraction
Transmission

media: air, water, glass,

dielectric: electrical insulator (weak or non-conducting) that

can be polarized by an applied electric field

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Dr. Sebastian Domsch I Slide 23/29 I 12/10/2015

Reflection
angle of incidence = angle of reflection

'
Biomedical Optics Basics of LASER Physics
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Refraction

Biomedical Optics Basics of LASER Physics

Dr. Sebastian Domsch I Slide 25/29 I 12/10/2015

Refraction
A

refractive index n

Normal

vacuum: 1
air: 1.0003
water: 1.333
crown glass: 1.5

c (medium)=c/

Fermats Prinziple
Light minimizes the time the travel from
point A to B. Light velocity in media.

Snells Law

n sin( ) n ' sin( ' )

Biomedical Optics Basics of LASER Physics
Dr. Sebastian Domsch I Slide 26/29 I 12/10/2015

Total Reflection

Water tank: Reflected and refracted light

components!

Fiber optic cable: total reflection important for signal

transmission!
Biomedical Optics Basics of LASER Physics
Dr. Sebastian Domsch I Slide 27/29 I 12/10/2015

Total Reflection
Snells Law

Normal

c
n
n

n sin( ) n ' sin( ' )

n > n
sin() =1 !

n
c arcsin
n'

Biomedical Optics Basics of LASER Physics

Dr. Sebastian Domsch I Slide 28/29 I 12/10/2015

critical angle

Brewster Angle - Linear Polarisation

Brewster Angle: B

Hertzian Dipole
Brewster Angle: B

+ B=/2

Reflected ray polarized due to radiation charachteristic of Hertzian Dipole!

Biomedical Optics Basics of LASER Physics
Dr. Sebastian Domsch I Slide 29/29 I 12/10/2015

Dispersion

dispersion = dependance between

frequency and wavelength: = ()
f = c / n()
f = c / (n() )

substitute = 2f and k = 2/
= kc / n(k)

Biomedical Optics Basics of LASER Physics

Dr. Sebastian Domsch I Slide 30/29 I 12/10/2015

Dispersion Group and Phase Velocity

wavepakage: x, t c j e

i ( j t k j x )

Gaussian Wavepakage

d k / (k )
d
c
dk
dk

c
phase velocity: v phase
k (k )

group velocity: vgroup

= velocity of wave
package

= velocity of single
waves

The refractive index is wavelength

dependent: n = n()
-> Speed of light in medium is
wavelength dependent: v = c/ n()
= v() !
-> A wave package disperses

If the refractive index (n) is not wavelength dependent

Biomedical Optics Basics of LASER Physics

Dr. Sebastian Domsch I Slide 31/29 I 12/10/2015

phase

= vGroup

No dispersion!

Repetition
Einstein: Discovery of stimulated emission 1917
First pulsed ruby LASER by Maiman in 1960
Nobel prices for Townes, Basow and Prokhorov in 1964: fundamental work in
quantum electronics) fascilitating LASERs/MASERs
Light, both wave and particle character
Electromagnetic wave: B- and E fields
Maxwells Equation: the cause and the relation of and between B(t)- and E(t)

Geometric optics: reflection, refraction, transmission

Reflection: angle of incident = angle of reflection
Total Refraction: angle of reflection > 90
Brewester Angle: linearly reflected light if refracted and reflected light 90
Dispersion relation: k = k()
Dielectric: = (k)
Wavepackages disperse if group velocity phase velocity

Biomedical Optics Basics of LASER Physics

Dr. Sebastian Domsch I Slide 32/29 I 12/10/2015

Next Lecture

2. LASER Principle

Biomedical Optics Basics of LASER Physics

Dr. Sebastian Domsch I Slide 33/29 I 12/10/2015