BABU BANARASI DAS

INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY & MANAGEMENT, LUCKNOW

Engineering Physics
LASER
Lecture: 01
Presented by
Dr. S. H. ABDI
Babu Banarasi Das Institute of Technology & Management, Lucknow
 Laser

• A laser is a device that emits light through a

process of optical amplification based on the
stimulated emission of
electromagnetic radiation. The term "laser"
originated as an acronym for "light
amplification by stimulated emission of
radiation".[1][2][3] The first laser was built in
1960 by Theodore H. Maiman at
Hughes Research Laboratorie
The emission-absorption principle
• The three different mechanisms are shown below (Figure ):
• Absorption: An atom in a lower level absorbs a photon of frequency
hν and moves to an upper level.
• Spontaneous emission: An atom in an upper level can decay
spontaneously to the lower level and emit a photon of frequency hν
if the transition between E2 and E1 is radiative. This photon has a
random direction and phase.
• Stimulated emission: An incident photon causes an upper level atom
to decay, emitting a “stimulated” photon whose properties are
identical to those of the incident photon. The term “stimulated”
underlines the fact that this kind of radiation only occurs if an
incident photon is present. The amplification arises due to the
similarities between the incident and emitted photons.
The emission-absorption principle
 Einstein coefficients
• Einstein coefficients are mathematical
quantities which are a measure of the
probability of absorption or emission of
light by an atom or molecule. The
Einstein A coefficients are related to the
rate of spontaneous emission of light, and
the Einstein B coefficients are related to the
absorption and stimulated emission of light.
• In a collection of atoms, all the three transition processes
stimulated absorption, spontaneous emission, and stimulated
emission occur simultaneously.
• Let N1 be the number of atoms per unit volume with energy. E 1
and E2 the number of atoms per unit volume with energy E 2. Let
‘n’ be the number of photons per unit volume at frequency v ,
• Such that hv = E2 - E1 .
• Then the energy density of interacting photons ρ(v) is given by
ρ(v)=nhv (1)
• When these photons interact with atoms, both upward
(absorption) and downward (emission) transitions occur. At
equilibrium these transition rates must be equal.
 Upward Transition
• Stimulated absorption rate depends on the
number of atoms available in the lower energy
state for absorption of these photons as well as
the energy density of interacting radiation. i.e.,
• Stimulated absorption rate α N1
• α ρ(v)
• = N1ρ(v) B12 Where the constant of proportionality
B12 is the Einstein coefficient of stimulated
absorption.
 Downward transition
• Once the atoms are excited by stimulated absorption, they
‘stay’ in the excited state for a short duration of time called
the life time of the excited state. After their life time they
move to their lower energy level spontaneously emitting
photons. This spontaneous emission rate depends on the
number of atoms in the excited energy state. i.e.
Spontaneous emission rate α N2
α ρ(v)
= N2 ρ(v) B21
where the constant of proportionality B21 is the Einstein
coefficient of stimulated emission
• During stimulated emission, the interacting
photon called the stimulating photon and the
photon due to stimulated emission are in
phase with each other. Please note that during
stimulated absorption, the photon density
decreases whereas during stimulated emission
it increases. For a system in equilibrium, the
upward and downward transition rates must
be equal and hence we have
• N1 ρ(v) B12=N2 ρ(v) B21+ N2A21...........(2)
hence ρ(ν)= N2A21/ B12 N1- B21 N2 ......(3)
The population of the various energy levels of a system in
thermal equilibrium is given by Boltzmann distribution law.
Ni=gi N0exp(Ei/kT )………………….(4)
Where Ni is the population density of the energy level E i , N0 is
the population density of the ground state at temperature T,
gi is the degeneracy of the i th level and k is the Boltzmann
constant (=1.38 x 10-23 joule/K). (The concept of degeneracy
occurs since more than one level have the same energy
• N1=g1 N0exp( –E1/kT)
• N2=g2 N0 exp (-E2/kT)
• N1/N2=g1/g2 exp (E2-E1)/kT…….(5)
• N1/N2=g1/g2 exp -(hν/kT)………….(6)
• ρ( ν )=A21/B21/(g1/g2.B12/B21 exp–(hν/kT)-1…..…..(7)
• From Planck’s law of black body radiation, the radiation density is
given by
• ρ(ν)=8πhν3/c3(1/exp(hν/kT)-1)……(8)
• comparing equations (7) and (8)
• (g1/g2).(B12/B21)=1..(9) and A21/B21=8πhν3/c3..(10)
• Equations (9) and (10) are referred to as the Einstein relations.
 Population inversion
• Population inversion, in physics, the redistribution of
atomic energy levels that takes place in a system so that
laser action can occur. Normally, a system of atoms is in
temperature equilibrium and there are always more atoms
in low energy states than in higher ones. Although
absorption and emission of energy is a continuous process,
the statistical distribution (population) of atoms in the
various energy states is constant. When this distribution is
disturbed by pumping energy into the system, a population
inversion will take place in which more atoms will exist in
the higher energy states than in the lower.
• If there are more atoms in the upper level (N 2) than in the
lower level (N1), the system is not at equilibrium. In fact, at
thermodynamic equilibrium, the distribution of the atoms
between the levels is given by Boltzmann's Law:
• In this case, N2 is always less than N1. A situation not at
equilibrium must be created by adding energy via a process
known as “pumping” in order to raise enough atoms to the
upper level.
• This is known as population inversion and is given by .
Light is amplified when the population inversion is positive.
Pumping may be electrical, optical or chemical.
 Ruby Laser

• A ruby laser is a solid-state laser that uses the

synthetic ruby crystal as its laser medium.
• Ruby laser is one of the few solid-state lasers
that produce visible light. It emits deep red
light of wavelength 694.3 nm.
• A ruby laser consists of three important
elements: laser medium, the pump source,
and the optical resonator.
• In a ruby laser, a single crystal of ruby (Al2O3 : Cr3+) in the
form of cylinder acts as a laser medium or active
medium. The laser medium (ruby) in the ruby laser is
made of the host of sapphire (Al2O3) which is doped with
small amounts of chromium ions (Cr3+).
• In a ruby laser, we use flashtube as the energy source or
pump source. The flashtube supplies energy to the laser
medium (ruby). When lower energy state electrons in
the laser medium gain sufficient energy from the
flashtube, they jump into the higher energy state or
excited state.
• The ends of the cylindrical ruby rod are flat and parallel. The
cylindrical ruby rod is placed between two mirrors. The optical
coating is applied to both the mirrors. The process of depositing
thin layers of metals on glass substrates to make mirror surfaces
is called silvering. Each mirror is coated or silvered differently.

• At one end of the rod, the mirror is fully silvered whereas, at

another end, the mirror is partially silvered.
• The fully silvered mirror will completely reflect the light
whereas the partially silvered mirror will reflect most part of
the light but allows a small portion of light through it to
produce output laser light.
 Working of ruby laser

• The ruby laser is a three level solid-state laser. In a ruby laser, optical
pumping technique is used to supply energy to the laser medium.
Optical pumping is a technique in which light is used as energy source
to raise electrons from lower energy level to the higher energy level.
• Consider a ruby laser medium consisting of three energy levels E 1, E2,
E3 with N number of electrons.
• We assume that the energy levels will be E1 < E2 < E3. The energy level
E1 is known as ground state or lower energy state, the energy level E 2 is
known as metastable state, and the energy level E3 is known as pump
state.
• Let us assume that initially most of the electrons are in the lower
energy state (E1) and only a tiny number of electrons are in the excited
states (E2 and E3)
• When light energy is supplied to the laser medium (ruby), the electrons in
the lower energy state or ground state (E1) gains enough energy and jumps
into the pump state (E3).
• The lifetime of pump state E3 is very small (10-8 sec) so the electrons in the
pump state do not stay for long period. After a short period, they fall into
the metastable state E2 by releasing radiationless energy. The lifetime of
metastable state E2 is 10-3 sec which is much greater than the lifetime of
pump state E3. Therefore, the electrons reach E2 much faster than they
leave E2. This results in an increase in the number of electrons in the
metastable state E2 and hence population inversion is achieved.
• After some period, the electrons in the metastable state E2 falls into the
lower energy state E1 by releasing energy in the form of photons. This is
called spontaneous emission of radiation.
• When the emitted photon interacts with the electron in the metastable state,
it forcefully makes that electron fall into the ground state E1. As a result, two
photons are emitted. This is called stimulated emission of radiation.
• When these emitted photons again interacted with the metastable state
electrons, then 4 photons are produced. Because of this continuous
interaction with the electrons, millions of photons are produced.
• In an active medium (ruby), a process called spontaneous emission produces
light. The light produced within the laser medium will bounce back and forth
between the two mirrors. This stimulates other electrons to fall into the
ground state by releasing light energy. This is called stimulated emission.
Likewise, millions of electrons are stimulated to emit light. Thus, the light gain
is achieved.
• The amplified light escapes through the partially reflecting mirror to produce
laser light.
 Helium–neon Lasers

• Helium–neon (He–Ne) lasers are a frequently

used type of continuously operating
gas lasers, most often emitting red light at
632.8 nm at a power level of a few milliwatts
and with excellent beam quality. The
gain medium is a mixture of helium and neon
gas in a glass tube, which normally has a
length of the order of 15–50 cm.
• A DC current, which is applied via two electrodes
with a voltage of the order of 1 kV (but higher
during ignition), maintains an electric glow
discharge with a moderate current density. In the
simplest case, a ballast resistor stabilizes the electric
current. The current is e.g. 10 mA, leading to an
electrical power of the order of 10 W.
• Some He–Ne lasers have a tube with internal
resonator mirrors, which can not be exchanged.
Brewster windows are then not required.
• In the gas discharge, helium atoms are excited into a metastable state.
During collisions, the helium atoms can efficiently transfer energy to
neon atoms, which have an excited state with similar excitation energy.
Neon atoms have a number of energy levels below that pump level, so
that there are several possible laser transitions. The transition at
632.8 nm is the most common, but other transitions allow the operation
of such lasers at 1.15 μm, 543.5 nm (green), 594 nm (yellow), 612 nm
(orange), or 3.39 μm. The emission wavelength is selected by using
resonator mirrors which introduce high enough losses at the
wavelengths of all competing transitions.
• Due to the narrow gain bandwidth, He–Ne lasers typically exhibit stable
single-frequency operation, even though mode hopping is possible in
some temperature ranges where two longitudinal resonator modes have
similar gain.
 Applications of Lasers

• Laser is an optical device that generates intense beam of coherent

monochromatic light by stimulated emission of radiation.
• Laser light is different from an ordinary light. It has various unique
properties such as coherence, monochromacity, directionality, and
high intensity. Because of these unique properties, lasers are used
in various applications.
• The most significant applications of lasers include:
• Lasers in medicine
• Lasers in communications
• Lasers in industries
• Lasers in science and technology
• Lasers in military