ENGINEERING PHYSICS

Department of Science and Humanities

ENGINEERING PHYSICS
Unit IV : Application of Quantum Mechanics to Optical
Waves: LASERS

• Class #36
Gain and loss in laser systems

1. Gain in a cavity
2. Laser Comb
3. Line Broadening
4. Losses in the cavity
ENGINEERING PHYSICS
LASERS: Gain and Loss

➢Suggested Reading
1. Lasers: Fudamentals and Applications
K Thyagarajan, A Ghatak
2. Course material developed by the Department

➢Reference Videos

https://ocw.mit.edu/resources/res-6-005-understanding-lasers-
and-fiberoptics-spring-2008/laser-fundamentals-i/
ENGINEERING PHYSICS
Resonating Cavity

• Consists of two mirrors of various

geometries and coatings creating
standing waves

• Because of the energy amplification due to

stimulated emission

• The laser comes out of the partially reflecting mirror

• Photons travelling in directions not perpendicular

to the mirrors are not amplified
ENGINEERING PHYSICS
Resonating Cavity: Frequency Comb
n1 λ1 = 2L
n2 λ2 = 2L
n3 λ3 = 2L
Frequency Comb : consists of
. a series of discrete equally
spaced frequency lines
.
corresponding to n1, n2,
. n3….etc. with respect to the
laser cavity length.

The line width is narrow due

to the fact that only those
Gain is a function wavelengths for which the
of wavelength gain is above threshold will
be amplified for output laser
beam.
ENGINEERING PHYSICS
Resonating cavity: Losses
Laser Line width Broadening

1. Frequency comb and gain curve broadening

2. Doppler Broadening

3. Pressure broadening

4. Inhomogeneous broadening

5. Quantum noise

6. Design flaws
ENGINEERING PHYSICS
Resonating cavity: Losses

Losses in the cavity

1. Scattering(greater at shorter wavelengths)

2. Absorption in the beam path

3. Diffraction losses

4. Mirror losses
ENGINEERING PHYSICS

Department of Science and Humanities

ENGINEERING PHYSICS
Unit IV: Application of Quantum Mechanics to Optical waves: LASERS

Class #37
• Round trip gain in a laser medium
• Condition for round trip gain
• Amplified coherent light
ENGINEERING PHYSICS
Condition for round trip gain, cavity design considerations

➢Suggested Reading
1. Lectures on Physics, Feynman, Leighton and Sands
2. Lasers - Principles and Applications, A.K.Ghatak and
K. Thyagarajan
3. Learning material prepared by the Department of
Physics
➢Reference Videos
1. https://nptel.ac.in/courses/104/104/104104085/
ENGINEERING PHYSICS
Resonating cavity (Optical cavity for light amplification - gain)
𝟐𝐋
Resonator supports simultaneously several standing waves 𝛌=
𝐧
The resonating cavity arrangement results in multiple travel of the
stimulated emitted optical beam in the medium and beam intensity
increases (gain) after few reflections
Mirror 1-R1 Mirror 2-R2
(100% reflecting) (99% reflecting)
𝑰 = 𝑰𝒐 𝒆𝒈𝒙
The gain of photons is given by the
increasing intensity as 𝑰 = 𝑰𝒐 𝒆𝒈𝒙
Laser output where g is the gain coefficient

Light Amplification inside the resonant cavity

ENGINEERING PHYSICS
Resonating cavity: Loss Process and Round trip gain

Losses in the cavity 𝑰 = 𝑰𝒐 𝒆𝒈𝒙

1. Scattering(greater at shorter wavelengths)
2. Absorption in the beam path
3. Diffraction losses Laser output
4. Mirror losses 𝐈 = 𝐈𝐨 𝐞 −𝛂𝐱

The loss of photons is given by decreasing intensity as

𝐈 = 𝐈𝐨 𝐞−𝛂𝐱 , where 𝛂 is the loss coefficient
Round trip gain

If gain and losses are co-existing, then the resultant intensity for a
distance x should be
𝑰 = 𝑰𝟎 𝑹 𝟏 𝑹 𝟐 𝒆 𝟐 𝒈–𝜶 𝒙 , where 𝑰𝟎 is the starting intensity of photons
ENGINEERING PHYSICS
Round trip gain in a laser medium

Laser output

𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲
𝐀𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫(𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧) = Resultant intensity after one round trip (2L)
𝐈𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲

𝐠 – 𝛂 𝟐𝐋 R1 and R2 be the reflective coefficients of the mirrors

𝐈𝐨𝐑 𝟏 𝐑 𝟐 𝐞
𝐀𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫(𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧) = L - the distance between the mirrors
𝐈𝐨
Threshold condition, 𝐑 𝟏 𝐑 𝟐 𝐞 𝐠𝐭𝐡 – 𝛂 𝟐𝐋 =1
In a round trip even if we achieve a gain compared to
the loss over billions of such trips the total gain would
be significant Threshold gain coefficient gth
ENGINEERING PHYSICS
Threshold Gain
𝐠𝐭𝐡 – 𝛂 𝟐𝐋
Threshold condition, 𝐑 𝟏 𝐑 𝟐 𝐞 =1

Threshold Gain Coefficient (𝐠𝐭𝐡 ) can be evaluated as,

𝒈𝒕𝒉 −𝜶 2𝑳
1
𝒆 =
𝑹1 𝑹2

1
𝒈𝒕𝒉 − 𝜶 2𝑳 = 𝒍𝒏
𝑹1 𝑹2
1 1
1 1 Threshold gain coefficient, 𝒈𝒕𝒉 = 𝜶 + 𝒍𝒏
2𝑳 𝑹1 𝑹2
𝒈𝒕𝒉 − 𝜶 = 𝒍𝒏
2𝑳 𝑹1 𝑹2
In another form as,
1
This implies that the gain of the system is Threshold gain coefficient, 𝒈𝒕𝒉 = 2𝑳 (𝟐𝜶𝑳 − [𝒍𝒏𝑹1 𝑹2 ])
dependent on the length of the cavity and the
reflection coefficients of the two mirrors 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐑 𝟏 𝐑 𝟐 𝐞 𝐠 – 𝛂 𝟐𝐋
>1
ENGINEERING PHYSICS
Class #37…….. Quiz …

The concepts which are correct are….

1. Attenuation coefficient, 𝜶 includes all the distributed losses
such as scattering and absorption occurring in the medium
2. For lasing, the initial gain must be less than the sum of the
losses in the cavity
3. The threshold gain can be determined by considering the
change in intensity of a beam of light undergoing a round
trip within the resonator
4. The value of g must be less than 𝐠 𝐭𝐡 for laser oscillations to
commence
 ENGINEERING PHYSICS
Class #37…….. Numericals
Calculate the threshold gain factors of a laser which has a loss factor of
0.5 cm-1if the configuration of the system is as follows
(a) A 50 cm tube with one mirror 99% reflecting and the output coupler
90% reflecting
(b) A 20 cm tube with one mirror 99% reflecting and the output coupler
97% reflecting
Comment on the results obtained.
1 1
Threshold gain coefficient, 𝒈𝒕𝒉 = 𝜶 + 𝒍𝒏
2𝑳 𝑹1 𝑹2

1
𝑪𝒂𝒔𝒆𝟏: 𝒍𝒏 =.
𝑹1 𝑹2

More the threshold gain better the design of the optical

cavity.
 ENGINEERING PHYSICS
Class #37…….. Conceptual Questions
Discuss the concept of round trip gain and derive an expression for
threshold gain.

1 1
Threshold gain coefficient, 𝒈𝒕𝒉 = 𝜶 + 𝒍𝒏
2𝑳 𝑹1 𝑹2

Obtain an expression for threshold round trip gain

in laser cavity and list the important requirements
of a laser system.
THANK YOU

Muhammad Faisal, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Department of Science and Humanities

[email protected]
+91 80 50829629