Applied Physics
PH31001 (T)
Dr Ashok Kumar
School of Sciences
Department of Physics
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Objective
• To analyze the function of each laser component: active medium,
pumping source, and optical resonator.
• To explain the construction and working of Ruby Laser in detail.
• To highlight the importance of population inversion in the Ruby Laser
(three-level scheme).
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Learning Outcomes
• Identify and explain the three essential components of a laser system.
• Describe the working principle of a Ruby Laser as the first solid-state
laser.
• Explain how population inversion is achieved in a Ruby Laser (three-
level pumping scheme).
• Illustrate the construction and applications of a Ruby Laser.
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Ruby Laser
• A ruby laser is a solid-state laser.
• This is the first successful laser developed by Maiman in 1960.
• The active material in the Ruby is chromium ion and energy level of
chromium Ions takes part in the lasing action.
• Ruby laser produces visible light of deep red colour of wavelength
694.3 nm.
• It is a three energy level laser.
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Ruby Laser
• Construction: A ruby laser consists of three important elements
• (i) laser medium/active medium
• (ii) the pumping source and
• (iii) the optical resonator.
• (i) Active medium: In a ruby laser, a single crystal of ruby (Al₂O₃)
doped with small (0.05%)percentage of Cr₂O₃ acts as host material.
(ii) Pump source or energy source in ruby laser: The helical xenon flash
lamp provides energy to the atoms to excite electrons from lower
energy level to the higher energy levels.
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Ruby Laser
• iii. Optical resonator: The two ends of the cylindrical ruby rod are flat
and parallel. The ruby rod is placed in between these mirrors having
optical coating. At one end of the rod, the mirror is fully silvered
whereas, at another end the mirror is partially silvered. The distance
between two mirrors should be multiple of 𝑚𝜆/2.
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Ruby Laser
• Working of ruby laser:
• The ruby laser is a three level solid-state laser. The energy level
diagram of active medium (Cr3+ ions) is shown in the figure 2.
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Ruby Laser
• Initially most of the electrons are in the lower energy state (E1) and
only a few number of electrons are in the excited states.
• When a light from flash tube of wavelength 5500 nm falls on ruby
rod, the chromium ions absorbs the photons and jump to the excited
state E3 as shown in Fig 2.
• The excited electrons in the state E3 stay here for short duration (~ 10-
8 sec) and come down to the metastable state E by non radiating
2
transition then they stay here for longer duration about 10−3 sec.
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Ruby Laser
• In metastable state, the concentration of ions increases while that of E1
decreases due to the optical pumping. Hence, population inversion is
achieved between E2 & E1.
• Since the state of population inversion is not a stable one, hence one or
two electrons come down to ground state spontaneously by emitting a
photon with wavelength of 6943 Å.
• This photon travels through the Ruby rod along the axis of the rod and
stimulates the surrounding chromium ion towards end of the rod reflect
back.
• Successive reflections of these stimulated photons at ends the of the rod
produce a strong, coherent and unidirectional leaser beam from the
partially silvered face.
• Ruby laser has a pulse output and hence called pulse laser.
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He-Ne Laser
• Helium-Neon Laser is the first gas Laser developed by Ali Javan and
his co-workers in1961.
• Helium-neon laser is a wave (CW) laser.
• It is a four level laser.
• He-Ne gas mixture is the active medium in He-Ne laser in which He
are the host atoms and Ne atoms are active centres.
• He-Ne laser emitted light of wavelength 6328 Å.
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He-Ne Laser
• Construction of Helium-neon laser :
• The helium-neon laser is a long narrow discharge tube which is made
of quartz glass.
• It consists of three essential components:
• i. Pump source (high voltage power supply)
• ii. Active medium ( He-Ne gas mixture)
• iii. Resonating cavity (laser glass tube or discharge glass tube)
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He-Ne Laser
• Pump source:
• In Helium Neon Gas laser a high voltage dc power supply of about 2
to 4 KV is used as pumping source.
• This high voltage source supplies dc current of 3 to 20 mA through
the gas mixture of helium and Neon atoms. Electrical discharge
mechanism is used to pump atoms from ground state.
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He-Ne Laser
• Active medium:
• In this laser helium and neon gas is mixed in a ratio 10:1 and is used
as a active medium.
• The mixture of helium and neon gas contained in glass tube so that
the partial pressure of helium is 1mbar whereas that of neon is 0.1
mbar.
• Resonator Cavity:
• The resonating system of the He Ne laser consists of two concave
mirrors, one fully reflector and other partial reflector. The distance
between two mirrors should be multiple of 𝑚𝜆/2.
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He-Ne Laser
• Working:
• The energy level diagram of He-Ne laser is shown in the figure 2.
• When current flows through the gas, it ionizes the gas producing +ve ions and
electrons.
He → He+ + e-1 .
• These energetic electrons transfer some of their energy to the helium atoms.
• As a result, the helium atoms in the ground state absorbs that energy and jump
to the excited states F3 (of energy 20.6) and F2 level (of energy 19.8 eV)
• Since the E6 (20. 66 eV) and E4 (19.81 eV) levels of Ne atoms have almost same
energy as F2 and F3, excited He atoms transfer their energy to Ne atoms through
collision.
• As the pressure of the He atoms is ten times that of Ne, so E4 and E6 level are
more populated than other levels of Ne atoms.
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He-Ne Laser
• E6 & E4 are metastable state, so population
inversion is established between the following E6
levels F3 E5
• E6 and E5, E3 E4
F
• E4 and E3. 2
• Now, Ne atoms from E6 and E3 undergoes E3
following transition
• E6 to E5 : 3.391 µm
• E6 to E3 : 6328 Å
E2
• E4 to E3 : 1.152 µm
• From E3 to E2 level the atom comes down F1
spontaneously and the atoms come back to E1
ground state from the state E1 by the process of
de-excitation by collision.
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Thank You!
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[email protected]
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0731 3111500, 0731 3111501
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