Aim:
This course offers an introduction on laser history and laser theory, as well as an understanding of laser resonators, Gaussian beams and the principles of laser amplifiers.
Content:
- Chapter 1: Brief
introduction about laser history, coherence properties, main constituents and
applications.
- Chapter 2: Laser resonators. The stability of cavities is treated with the
ray matrix formalism assuming centered systems and Gauss conditions.
- Chapter 3: Gaussian beams.
Properties
of gaussian beams (divergence, waist, phase curvature radius) treated using the
complex curvature radius.
Transformation
of gaussian beams (ABCD law), in particular by a lens (waist conjugation
formula).
Determination
of the fundamental gaussian mode parameters as a function of the cavity
parameters (case of linear cavities,
symmetric
cavities, general case)
Spatial
and spectral modes
- Chapter 4: Principles of laser amplifiers
Laser-matter
interaction (Absorption, stimulated emission, spontaneous emission)
Transition
spectral profile, Einstein coefficients, cross sections
Homogeneous
and inhomogeneous spectral broadening
Population
rate equation systems, population inversion (2-, 3-, 4- level systems)
Amplification
coefficient, Gain
Saturation
- Chapter 5: Introduction to laser theory
Brief
overview about the pumping mechanisms
Cavity
losses, cavity photon lifetime, threshold
Working
conditions in the continuous regime
Output
intensity and optimisation of the output coupler
Spatial
Hole-burning
single-mode/multimode
operation
Pulsed
regimes (Mode locking and Q-switching)
- Enseignant: Manuel Andia
- Enseignant: Séverine Boye-Peronne
- Enseignant: Loeva Remita