Assignment

(Elements Of Modern Physics)

TOPIC:- 4 – Level Laser

Name – Jatin Kumar

Roll No. – 710
Bsc.(Hons.)Physics (IInd Year)
INTRODUCTION TO LASER:-
The word ‘LASER’ is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of
Radiation. It is a source of highly intense beam of light. Laser action can occur in atoms,
ions and molecules in gases, liquids and solids.

The phenomenon involved between atoms or molecules and electromagnetic fields and
quantum theory has to be applied to treat interactions. Lasers are thus studied under
general head quantum electronics.

SALIENT FEATURES OF LASER:-

The useful Features of a laser are:

1.Directionality

2.Intensity

3.Monohromaticity

4.Coherence

We will discuss them in detail as follows:-

1.Directionality:

In conventional light sources (lamp, sodium lamp and torchlight), photons will travel in random
direction. Therefore, these light sources emit light in all directions.
On the other hand, in laser, all photons will travel in same direction. Therefore, laser emits light
only in one direction. This is called directionality of laser light. The width of a laser beam is
extremely narrow. Hence, a laser beam can travel to long distances without spreading.

2.Intensity:-

You know that the intensity of a wave is the energy per unit time flowing through a unit
normal area. In an ordinary light source, the light spreads out uniformly in all directions.

If you look at a 100 Watt lamp filament from a distance of 30 cm, the power entering
your eye is less than 1/1000 of a watt.

In laser, the light spreads in small region of space and in a small wavelength range.
Hence, laser light has greater intensity when compared to the ordinary light.

If you look directly along the beam from a laser (caution: don’t do it), then all the power
in the laser would enter your eye. Thus, even a 1 Watt laser would appear many
thousand times more intense than 100 Watt ordinary lamp.

3.Monochromaticity:-

Monochromatic light means a light containing a single color or wavelength. The photons
emitted from ordinary light sources have different energies, frequencies, wavelengths,
or colors. Hence, the light waves of ordinary light sources have many wavelengths or
colors. Therefore, ordinary light is a mixture of waves having different frequencies or
wavelengths.

On the other hand, in laser, all the emitted photons have the same energy, frequency,
or wavelength. Hence, the light waves of laser have single wavelength or color.
Therefore, laser light covers a very narrow range of frequencies or wavelengths.

4.Coherence:-

We know that visible light is emitted when excited electrons (electrons in higher energy
level) jumped into the lower energy level (ground state). The process of electrons
moving from higher energy level to lower energy level or lower energy level to higher
energy level is called electron transition.
In ordinary light sources (lamp, sodium lamp and torch light), the electron transition
occurs naturally. In other words, electron transition in ordinary light sources is random
in time. The photons emitted from ordinary light sources have different energies,
frequencies, wavelengths, or colors. Hence, the light waves of ordinary light sources
have many wavelengths. Therefore, photons emitted by an ordinary light source are out
of phase.

 In laser, the electron transition occurs artificially. In other words, in laser,

electron transition occurs in specific time. All the photons emitted in laser have
the same energy, frequency, or wavelength. Hence, the light waves of laser light
have single wavelength or color. Therefore, the wavelengths of the laser light are
in phase in space and time. In laser, a technique called stimulated emission is
used to produce light.

RADIOACTIVE PROCESSES:-
Einstein recognised three radioactive processes which an atom can undergo. These are
absorption, stimulated and spontaneous emission.

1.ABSORPTION:-

The process of absorbing energy from photons is called absorption of radiation.

It is well known that there are different energy levels in an atom. The electrons that are
very close to the nucleus have lowest energy level. These electrons are also known as
ground state electrons.
Let us consider that the energy level of ground state electrons or lower energy state
electrons is E1 and the next higher energy level or higher energy state is E2.

When ground state electrons or lower energy state electrons (E1) absorbs sufficient energy
from photons, they jump into the next higher energy level or higher energy state (E2).

2.SPONTANEOUS EMISSION:-

The process by which excited electrons emit photons while falling to the ground level or
lower energy level is called spontaneous emission.

Electrons in the atom absorb energy from various sources such as heat, electric field, or
light. When the electrons in the ground state or lower energy state (E1) absorb
sufficient energy from photons, they jump to the excited state or next higher energy
state (E2).

The electrons in the excited state do not stay for a long period because the lifetime of
electrons in the higher energy state or excited state is very small, of the order of 10 -
8
sec. Hence, after a short period, they fall back to the ground state by releasing energy
in the form of photons or light.

I
In spontaneous emission, the electrons changing from one state (higher energy state) to
another state (lower energy state) occurs naturally. So the photon emission also occurs
naturally or spontaneously.

The photons emitted due to spontaneous emission do not flow exactly in the same direction of
incident photons. They flow in the random direction.

3.STIMULATED EMISSION:-

The process by which electrons in the excited state are stimulated to emit photons while
falling to the ground state or lower energy state is called stimulated emission.

The stimulated emission is not a natural process it is an artificial process. In stimulated

emission, the electrons in the excited state need not wait for natural spontaneous
emission to occur. An alternative method is used to stimulate excited electron to emit
photons and fall back to ground state.

In this process, the excited electron releases an additional photon of same energy (same
frequency, same phase, and in the same direction) while falling into the lower energy
state. Thus, two photons of same energy are released while electrons falling into the
ground state.

In stimulated emission process, each incident photon generates two photons.

The photons emitted in the stimulated emission process will travel in the same direction
of the incident photon.
HOW LASER LIGHT IS PRODUCED:-
In order to produce laser light instead of normal light, stimulated emission, or
organized emission, must occur. This process begins when a burst of light or
electrical discharge raises atoms in the lasing medium to an energy level about two
or three levels above their ground-state energy level. In order to return to their
ground state, these electrons emit photons of light.

Stimulated emission occurs when one photon of light encounters an electron in the
same energy level as the original electron that created the first photon. When this
happens, the first photon causes the electron to emit a second photon of light with
the same wavelength and direction as the original photon.

This effect is enhanced by a pair of mirrors located on either end of the lasing
medium. These mirrors cause the photons of light to reflect back and forth through
the lasing medium. As they travel back and forth, the photons encounter other
electrons and cause them to emit photons of the same wavelength and direction.
This process ensures that the light is monochromatic, coherent, and directional. One
of the mirrors at one end of the laser is “half-silvered,” which means that it reflects
some light and allows some light to pass through. The light that passes through this
mirror is the light that we see as the laser.

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.
OPTICAL RESNATOR:-

An optical resonator is a system or set up, which is used to obtain amplification

of stimulated photons by oscillating them back and forth between system of two
mirrors. Thus, it consists of two plane or concave mirrors. One of the mirrors is partially
reflecting (having reflectivity less than 100%) and other is totally reflecting (having
reflectivity 100%).

THREE AND FOUR LEVEL LASER SYSTEM:-

In a simple two-level system, it is not possible to obtain a population inversion with
optical pumping because the system can absorb pump light (i.e., gain energy) only as
long as population inversion, and thus light amplification, is not achieved. Essentially,
the problem is stimulated emission caused by the pump light itself. Inversion by optical
pumping can only be achieved when using a three or four-level system.

1.THREE LEVEL LASER:-

Inversion by optical pumping becomes possible when using a three-level system.

Pump lightwith a shorter wavelength (higher photon energy) can transfer atoms from
the ground state to the highest level. From there, spontaneous emission or a
nonradiative process (e.g., involving phonons in a laser crystal) transfers atoms to an
intermediate level, called the upper laserlevel. From that level down to the ground
state, the laser transition with stimulated emission can occur. With sufficiently high
pump intensity, population inversion for the laser transition can be reached
as stimulated emission by the pump radiation is prevented by the transfer to the
intermediate level.

Figure 1:Three level laser procedure

2.FOUR LEVEL LASER:-

Laser gain with a much lower excitation level is possible in a four-level system. Here,
the lower level of the laser transition is somewhat above the ground state, and a rapid
(most often non radiative) transfer from there to the ground state keeps the population
of the lower laser level very small. Therefore, a moderate population in the third level
(the upper laser level), as achieved with a moderate pump intensity, is sufficient
for laser amplification.

MAIN POINTS TO REMEMBER:-

•Number of thermally excited ions in the lower laser level is small

•Easy to achieve population inversion even by pumping a relatively small number of

ions into the upper laser level

•Lower threshold compared to a three-level system

•Example: Nd: YAG Laser

 Figure 2: Four Level Laser Procedure

APPLICATIONS OF LASER:-

Laser technology must have a various application fields, in almost any of the science
field you may observe laser technology applications and devices. In the following I
mention the applications of such technology as far as I encountered, observed, used, or
read about:

 Computer devices such as laser mouse, laser presentation, CD ROMs and DVD
ROMs

 Astronomy and communication applications

 Medicine, surgery, and health (In health related topics, lasers had great impact. By using
lasers scientists and doctors are able to point out to cancer cells to destroy them and
sometimes they do not need to cut the patient's body in order to apply their surgery in cases
that cutting may create other disease and in some parts may not even be possible)

 War machines, guns and tanks

 Cutting matters in metallurgy industry and related industries