Laser

Light Amplification
mplification by Stimulated
Emission
mission of Radiation
Laser Applications :

• Laser Cutting
• Laser Printers
• Barcode Scanners
• Laser Pointer
• Laser Surgery
• Fiber Optic
• Free-Space Communication
• Distance measurements
• so on...
Properties of Laser :
1. Directionality :
Laser beam is highly directional.

The divergence of the laser beam is usually limited by

diffraction.
 d'−d
Beam divergence is defined as : θ≈
l

1
(d'−d )
θ 2
tan( )=
2 l
Since divergence for laser is very small henceθis very
small . tanθ )≈θ
Therefore tan(
2 2
1
(d'−d)
θ≈ 2 (d '−d )
θ≈
2 l l
2. Monochromaticity : Nearly monochromatic light

Δν is called line
width

ν0
Range of frequency is ν
Δν or λ+Δλ

For He-Ne laser: λ = 632.5 nm; Δλ = 0.2× 10-2 nm

3. Coherence : Laser is both temporal and spatial coherent

Can see interference patterns

with two independent laser
lights.
The coherence length, lc = c×
×τc
Where “c” is velocity of light and τc is called coherence
time. Also,

τc= 1/Δν (Δν is line width)

Therefore, lc = c×τ c = c/Δν

Now ,c=ν λ ν Δ λ+λ Δ ν=0

Δ ν=−ν Δ λ=−c Δ 2λ
λ λ

Therefore, lc = c/Δν = λ2/Δ λ

Therefore, lc = c/Δν = λ2/Δ λ

The more monochromatic is a wave (less will be Δ λ

and Δν), larger is coherent length and coherent time.

Source Δν (Hz) τc= 1/Δν lc = c×τ

c

Sunlight 3.75 × 1014 2.67 fs 800 nm

Sodium 5 × 1011 2 ps 600 μm

lamp
He-Ne 1 × 10 9 0.67 ns 20 m
laser
4. Intensity/Brightness : Highly intense that is why used
for welding because heat is focussed on small spot.

Intensity is high because laser is coherent.

Three transition processes can take place
when a photon is incident on an atom:

1. Stimulated Absorption
2. Spontaneous emission
3. Stimulated emission (Predicted by Einstein)
Absorption :
Consider a simple two level system with energy levels E1
and E2 , with E2 > E1.
Such an atom can emit or absorb a photon of frequency
given by
hν = E2 − E1
At ordinary temperatures, most of the atoms are in the
ground state E1.

If a photon of frequency ν is incident on the system, it will

be absorbed by an atom in the ground state E1 and will,
therefore, will be excited to the state E2.

The rate of stimulated absorption (or simply absorption)

depends both on the intensity of the external field and on
the number of atoms in the lower energy state.
Once the atom is in the excited state, it can decay (or
drop back to a lower energy state) after a short time,
typically from 10−9 to 10−3 seconds, by two different
processes:
spontaneous emission and stimulated emission.
Spontaneous Emission :
In an excited state E2 the atom stays for a finite time before
it falls into ground state by spontaneously emitting a
photon of frequency :
ν = (E2- E1)/h
This is called radiative transition.
transition
➢ The duration of stay in level E2 is called lifetime of the
level.
➢ The photon emitted by atom is in random direction. In
an ensemble of atoms, photons are emitted in random
directions and have no phase relationship between them.

➢ The rate at which electrons fall from excited level E2 to

lower level E1 is at every instant proportional to the
number of electrons remaining in E2.

The transition probability depends only on the two energy

➢
levels.
➢ Since this process can occur even in the absence
of any radiation, this is called spontaneous emission.
Stimulated Emission :
Photon of energy hν = (E2- E1) can interact with an atom in
excited state E2 and induce(stimulate) transition to E1.

The rate of stimulated absorption depends both on

the intensity of the incident photon and on the
number of atoms in the lower energy state.
Energy difference (E2- E1) is emitted in the form of photon
of frequency “ν” and this photon has same direction as
incident photon.

Moreover, this photon is in phase with incident photon and

has same polarisation as incident photon.

For every photon, there are two outgoing photons going in

the same direction. This leads to amplification of
incident photon.

In summary, emitted photons have the same frequency

and are in phase with the incident photon. This way we
can achieve an amplified and unidirectional coherent
beam.
Quantum mechanically, there is finite probability
associated with each transition.

The total probability of emission transition from

E2 to E1 (E2 → E1) is the sum of spontaneous
and stimulated emission probabilities.
probabilities
Which one of these will happen if photon of energy
(E2-E1) is incident?

Notice the larger amplitude of outgoing wave here

(equivalent to 2 photons in previous slides)
When the atoms are in thermodynamic equilibrium,
there are larger number of atoms in the lower
state, implying that the number of absorptions
exceeds the number of stimulated emissions; this
results in the attenuation of the beam (shown in (a)
in previous slide).

On the other hand, if we are able to create a state

of population inversion in which there are larger
number of atoms in the upper state, then the
number of stimulated emissions exceeds the
number of absorptions, resulting in the (optical)
amplification of the beam (shown in (b) in previous
slide).
Population Inversion :
The term population inversion describes an assembly of
atoms in which the majority are in energy levels above the
ground state.
When in termal equlibrium at temperature T, number of
atoms in various levels are given by Maxwell-Boltzmann’s
Maxwell
distrrirbution :
Ni =N 0e−E /kT
i

Where Ni is number of atoms having energy Ei , N0 is

number of atoms in ground state, k is Boltzmann’s
constant, T is tempertaure in Kelvin.

At equlibrium Population is maximum in ground state and

decreases exponentially as one goes to higher energy
states.
If N1 and N2 are population of atoms in level E1and E2
respectively,
N
2
=e ( E − E )/kT =e
1 2
e
−hv/kT
<1
N 1

Hence N2<N1. Therefore, at thermal equilibrium number of

atoms undergoing spontaneous emission is greater than
the number of atoms undergoing stimulated emission.

It is absolutely necessary for laser action that

number of atoms undergoing stimulated emission is
greater than the number of atoms undergoing
spontaneous emission i.e. N2 >N1 . This condition is
called population inversion.
Laser Principle:

Population inversion is not possible with 2 levels.

Laser Principle:
A number of ways exist to produce a population inversion
and the process is known as pumping.

A steady state population inversion cannot be created

between two levels just by using pumping between these
levels. Thus, in order to produce a steady state
population inversion, one makes use of either a three
level or a four level system.

A three-level laser, the simplest kind, uses an assembly

of atoms (or molecules) that have a metastable state hν
in energy above the ground state and a still higher
excited state that decays to the metastable state.
More atoms are required in the metastable state than in
the ground state so that stimulated emission can be
achieved by shining with light of frequency ν. A metastable
states have lifetimes of 10−3 s or more instead of the usual
10−8 s and are hence relatively long-lived
long states.

In a three-level laser, more than half the atoms must be in

the metastable state for stimulated induced emission to
predominate.
Ruby Laser :
A ruby is a crystal of aluminum-oxide,
aluminum Al 2O 3, in which some
of the Al3+ ions are replaced by Cr3+ ions ( 0.05% by
weight), which are responsible for the red color. Ruby laser
was the first successful laser and is based on the three
energy levels in the chromium ion Cr3+.

The ruby laser is an example of a three-level

three laser.
In the ruby laser, a xenon flash lamp excites the Cr3+ ions
to a level of higher energy (2.25 eV) from which they fall
to the metastable level (1.79 eV) by losing energy to the
lattice. Thus, there is also a cooling system provided
(circulating water or liquid nitrogen) to cool the crystal.

The metastable level in Cr3+ ion has lifetime approx. 0.003

s. Level at 2.25 eV has lifetime of ~10-8 s, number of
atoms keep increasing in the metastable state.

Once population inversion is achieved, light amplification

can take place, with two reflecting ends of the ruby rod
forming a cavity.
Photons from the spontaneous decay of some Cr3+ions
are reflected back and forth between the mirrored ends of
the ruby rod, stimulating other excited Cr3+ ions to radiate.
After a few microseconds the result is a large pulse of
monochromatic, coherent red light from the partly
transparent end of the rod.

The rod’s length is made precisely an integral number of

half-wavelengths long, so the radiation trapped in it forms
an optical standing wave.
 First Ruby laser

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ0lMSNuj_o
Spiking in Ruby Laser :

Characteristic spiking of ruby laser.

Spiking in Ruby Laser :

The flash operation of the lamp leads to a pulsed output of

the laser. As soon as the flashlamp stops operating the
population of the upper level is depleted very rapidly and
lasing action stops till the arrival of the next flash.

Even in the short period of a few tens of microseconds in

which the ruby is lasing, one finds that the emission is
made up of spikes of high-intensity
high emissions having
random amplitude fluctuations of varying duration. This
phenomenon is known as spiking.
When the pump is turned on, the intensity of light at
the laser transition is small and hence the pump
builds up the inversion rapidly. Although under steady-
state conditions the inversion cannot exceed the
threshold inversion, on a transient basis it can go
beyond the threshold value due to the absence of
sufficient laser radiation in the cavity which causes
stimulated emission. Thus the inversion goes beyond
threshold when the radiation density in the cavity
builds up rapidly. Since the inversion is greater than
threshold, the radiation density goes beyond the
steady-state value which in turn depletes the upper
level population and reduces the inversion below
threshold. This leads to an interruption of laser
oscillation till the pump can again create an inversion
beyond threshold. This cycle repeats itself to produce
the characteristic spiking.
He-Ne laser:
The He-Ne laser consists of a mixture of He and Ne in a
ratio of about 10:1, placed inside a long, narrow discharge
tube. The pressure inside the rube is about 1 torr.
The gas system is enclosed between a pair of plane
mirrors or a pair of concave mirrors so that a resonator
system is formed. One of the mirrors is of very high
reflectivity while the other is partially transparent.
The actual lasing atoms are the neon atoms and helium is
used for a selective pumping of the upper laser level of
neon.
Relevant energy levels of He and Ne.
When an electrical discharge is passed through the gas,
the electrons which are accelerated down the tube collide
with helium and neon atoms and excite them to higher
energy levels.

The He atoms are excited from the ground state to the

levels marked F2 and F3(lifetime 10–4 and 5 × 10–6 s
respectvely). These levels are metastable; i.e., He atoms
excited to these states stay in these levels for a
sufficiently long time before losing energy through
collisions.
Since the levels E4 and E6 of neon atoms have almost the
same energy as F2 and F3 , excited helium atoms colliding
with neon atoms in the ground state can excite the neon
atoms to E4 and E6 . Since the pressure of helium is ten
times that of neon, the levels E4 and E6 of neon are
selectively populated as compared to other levels of neon.

This results in a sizeable population of the levels E4 and E6.

The population in these levels happens to be much more
than those in the lower levels E and E . Thus a state of
3 5
population inversion is achieved, and any spontaneously
emitted photon can trigger laser action in any of the three
transitions
The transitions from E6 to E5, E4 to E3, and E6 to E3 result
in the emission of radiation having wavelengths of 3.39
μm, 1.15 μm, and 6328 Å, respectively. The laser
transitions corresponding to 3.39 μm and 1.15 μm, are not
in the visible region. The 6328 Å transition corresponds
to the well-known red light of the He-Ne laser.

The Ne atoms then drop down from the lower laser levels
to the level E2 through spontaneous emission. From the
level E2 the Ne atoms are brought back to the ground
state through collision with the walls.
Conditions:

The pressures of the two gases must be chosen so that the

condition of population inversion is not quenched. Thus the
conditions must be such that there is an efficient transfer of
energy from He to Ne atoms.

The level marked E2 is metastable, electrons colliding with

atoms in level E2 may excite them to level E3 , thus
decreasing the population inversion. The tube containing
the gaseous mixture is also made narrow so that Ne atoms
in level E2 can get de-excited
excited by collision with the walls of
the tube.
 Comparison of Ruby and He-Ne
He laser:
•Gas lasers are, in general, found to emit light, which is
more directional and more monochromatic. This is so
because of the absence of such effects as crystalline
imperfection, thermal distortion, and scattering, which are
present in solid-state lasers.
lasers
•Gas lasers are capable of operating continuously
without need for cooling.
•Ruby laser is a pulsed laser while gas laser, like He-Ne
laser is a continuous laser.
•In Ruby lasers, the pumping is usually done using a
flashlamp. Such a technique is efficient if the lasing
system has broad absorption bands.
•In He-Ne lasers since the atoms are characterized by
sharp energy levels as compared to those in Ruby,
electrical discharge is used to pump the atoms.
Laser Application : Optical Communications
Optical communication is any form of telecommunication
that uses light as the transmission medium.
An optical communication system consists of a transmitter,
which encodes a message into an optical signal, a
channel, which carries the signal to its destination, and a
receiver, which reproduces the message from the received
optical signal.
For modulation of the signal without the addition of any
noise, the carrier wave should be of a very narrow spectral
width (Δν). For communication purposes, the laser beam is
modulated by the signal. At the receiving station, the
modulated beam is demodulated (detected) to separate
the required signal from the laser beam (carrier). The
output current, which varies with the intensity of the signal,
is amplified and then fed to the speaker.
Laser Application : Optical Alignment

The negligible divergence of the laser beam stimulated a

number of ideas for providing hitherto impossible
accuracy and sensitivity in the alignment of tools. Serving
as an optical axis, the beam guides the machines used for
levelling the concrete facing of the airfields, checking the
verticality of the framework of tall buildings, sinking mines,
and cutting tunnels from two ends and joining them
without tilt.
Laser ends here
For numerical no. 4 in tutorial sheet in Polarisation :

The path difference between E and O ray will be given by

= (o – e) t (where o > e)
where t is thickness of crystal, e and o are the refractive
indices experienced by the E and O rays, respectively.
The phase difference between E and O ray will be given
2 π t (μo −μ e)
By = (where o > e)
λ

where t is thickness of crystal, e and o are the refractive

indices experienced by the E and O rays, respectively.