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Lecture 7: Laser Oscillation: You Can Download and Read Reading Materials PDF

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This lecture discusses laser oscillation and the key principles behind how lasers work. It covers the main prerequisites for laser action including an amplifier, resonator, frequency selection, and output coupling. It describes how the gain coefficient must exceed the loss coefficient to reach lasing threshold. Above threshold, the laser output consists of discrete frequency modes determined by the resonator, while below threshold only spontaneous emission is observed. It also discusses longitudinal and transverse modes, and how adjusting the pump rate can produce single or multimode laser operation.

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Lecture 7: Laser Oscillation: You Can Download and Read Reading Materials PDF

Uploaded by

Al-Ami Sarker
157 views14 pages
This lecture discusses laser oscillation and the key principles behind how lasers work. It covers the main prerequisites for laser action including an amplifier, resonator, frequency selection, and output coupling. It describes how the gain coefficient must exceed the loss coefficient to reach lasing threshold. Above threshold, the laser output consists of discrete frequency modes determined by the resonator, while below threshold only spontaneous emission is observed. It also discusses longitudinal and transverse modes, and how adjusting the pump rate can produce single or multimode laser operation.

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This lecture discusses laser oscillation and the key principles behind how lasers work. It covers the main prerequisites for laser action including an amplifier, resonator, frequency selection, and output coupling. It describes how the gain coefficient must exceed the loss coefficient to reach lasing threshold. Above threshold, the laser output consists of discrete frequency modes determined by the resonator, while below threshold only spontaneous emission is observed. It also discusses longitudinal and transverse modes, and how adjusting the pump rate can produce single or multimode laser operation.

Copyright:

© All Rights Reserved
Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
Download as pdf or txt
157 views14 pages

Lecture 7: Laser Oscillation: You Can Download and Read Reading Materials PDF

Uploaded by

Al-Ami Sarker
This lecture discusses laser oscillation and the key principles behind how lasers work. It covers the main prerequisites for laser action including an amplifier, resonator, frequency selection, and output coupling. It describes how the gain coefficient must exceed the loss coefficient to reach lasing threshold. Above threshold, the laser output consists of discrete frequency modes determined by the resonator, while below threshold only spontaneous emission is observed. It also discusses longitudinal and transverse modes, and how adjusting the pump rate can produce single or multimode laser operation.

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Lecture 7: Laser oscillation

You can download and read


reading materials (pdf)
password: advancedQE 1
+ 1 Ray and wave optics
+ 2 Light beams and beam optics
+ 3 Optical resonators
+ 4 Photon optics
+ 5 Optical gain
+ 6 Laser oscillation
7 Pulsed lasers
8 Electromagnetic optics and crystal optics
9 Second-order nonlinear optical effects
10 Third-order nonlinear optical effects
11 Electro-optics
12 Acousto-optics
13 Ultrafast optics
14 Laser spectroscopy and microscopy
15 Laser fabrication and materials processing
2
Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission
of Radiation (LASER)

Prerequisites:

1) Amplifier (saturable gain medium)


Fabry-Perot resonator 2) Phase-matched feedback (resonator)
3) Frequency selection mechanism
4) Output coupling scheme
loss+phase delay

loss = gain

pump
3
Gain coefficient
small signal gain coefficient (at low photon flux density)

saturated gain coefficient at high photon flux density

4
Lasing threshold (閾値)
Gain coefficient > distributed loss (absorption, scattering, mirrors)
coefficient
0 (⌫) > ↵r
Single pass losses
reflective absorptive
exp( 2↵r d) = R1 R2 exp( 2↵s d)

Threshold population difference

threshold is lowest where g has peak

5
Fabry-Perot resonator
“Cold” resonator
standing wave
Loss: absorption in
resonators with gain medium,
d and at mirrors (R< 100%)

c If losses are small, linewidth


⌫F ⇡
2d 1
⌫⇡
2⇡⌧p
⌧p - photon lifetime

6
Lasing spectrum for homogeneously broadened
gain medium Output spectrum of the laser will
consist of set of discrete lines whose
central frequencies and widths
correspond to the resonator modes.

+ frequency pulling due to gain


dispersion (see previous lecture)

phase shift

Competition of longitudinal modes

7
Lasing spectrum for inhomogeneous
broadening
gain saturation/ lasing
no lasing hole burning

inhomogeneous
gain profile

lasing
multimode lasing spectrum modes

longitudinal modes 8
Optical flux inside the resonator
Gain clamping
large gain condition coefficient =
loss coefficient
Gain

N0 - population difference in
absence of laser emission

9
External flux Output through the partially
transparent mirror reduces the
population inversion

gain factor

loss factor 10
Longitudinal modes
Number of output modes can be
changed by adjusting the pumping
rate

single-mode operation
(one frequency, large coherence length)

multimode-mode operation (multiple


frequencies, short coherence length,
high output power)
Transverse modes
1. Stable resonator is required for laser operation
2. Output modes can be selected by deliberately misaligning the mirrors
or inserting pinholes into laser cavity
Practical signatures of laser action: laser
output versus pump rate

• Below the threshold, only THR


broadband spontaneous
emission is seen; lasing

• Above the threshold a


narrow lasing peak appears lasing
above the spontaneous
lasing
background
THR spontaneous emission

13
Nature Materials 1, 111 - 113 (2002)
Important points

❖ Main prerequisites for laser action


❖ Line broadening mechanisms
❖ Lasing threshold
❖ Lasing spectra for homogeneous and inhomogeneous
broadening
❖ Distinction between longitudinal and transverse laser
modes
❖ Practical signatures of laser action

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