What is a LASER?

The word LASER is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Laser is a
device that amplifies or increases the intensity of light and produces highly directional light.

Laser emits light through a process called stimulated emission of radiation which amplifies or increases the
intensity of light.
Some lasers generate visible light but others generate ultraviolet or infrared rays which are invisible.

In general, when electron jumps from a higher energy level to a lower energy level, it emits light or photon.
The energy of the emitted photon is equal to the energy difference between the energy levels. The loss of
electron energy is attributed to the entire atom. Therefore, it can be thought that the atom is moving from a
higher energy state to a lower energy state.
inversion  population

Laser light has extraordinary properties.

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 Stimulated emission
Stimulated emission is the
process by which incident photon
interacts with the excited electron
and forces it to return to the
ground state.

In stimulated emission, two photons are emitted (one additional photon is emitted), one is due to the incident photon and another one is due to
the energy release of excited electron. Thus, two photons are emitted.
All the emitted photons in stimulated emission have the same energy, same frequency and are in phase. Therefore, all photons in the
stimulated emission travel in the same direction.  4
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 LASER

Characteristics of Laser
Laser light has four unique characteristics that differentiate it from
ordinary light: these are
•Coherence
•Directionality
•Monochromatic
•High intensity

The photons emitted from In laser, the electron transition occurs artificially
ordinary light sources have All the photons emitted in laser have the same energy,
different energies, frequency, or wavelength.
frequencies, wavelengths.
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.

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 Pump Source
Laser Construction
The pump source or energy source is the part of a laser system that
A laser or laser system consists of three
provides energy to the laser medium. To get laser emission, first we need to
important components: a pump source,
produce population inversion. Population inversion is the process of
laser medium and optical resonator.
achieving greater number of electrons in higher energy state as compared to
the lower energy state.

Laser Medium
The laser medium is a medium where spontaneous and stimulated
emission of radiation takes place. Generally, the population of lower
energy state is greater than the higher energy state. However, after
achieving population inversion, the population of higher energy state
becomes greater than the lower energy state.

Optical Resonator

The laser medium is surrounded by two parallel mirrors which provides

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 Types of lasers
Lasers are classified into 4 types based on the type of laser medium used:
•Solid-state laser
•Gas laser
•Liquid laser
•Semiconductor laser The first solid-state laser was
Solid-state laser a ruby laser. It is still used in
A solid-state laser is a laser that uses solid as a laser medium. In these some applications. In this
lasers, glass or crystalline materials are used. laser, a ruby crystal is used as
a laser medium.
Gas laser
A gas laser is a laser in which an electric current is discharged through a
gas inside the laser medium to produce laser light. In gas lasers, the laser
medium is in the gaseous state.

 Liquid laser
A liquid laser is a laser that uses the liquid as laser medium. In liquid lasers, light supplies
energy to the laser medium.
A dye laser is an example of the liquid laser. A dye laser is a laser that uses an organic
dye (liquid solution) as the laser medium.

Semiconductor laser
Semiconductor lasers play an important role in our everyday life. These lasers are very cheap, compact size and consume low
power. Semiconductor lasers are also known as laser diodes.
Semiconductor lasers are different from solid-state lasers. In solid-state lasers, light energy is used as the pump source whereas,
in semiconductor lasers, electrical energy is used as the pump source.
In semiconductor lasers, a p-n junction of a semiconductor diode forms the active medium or laser medium. The optical gain is
produced within the semiconductor material.
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 Applications of Lasers
The most significant applications of lasers include:
•Lasers in medicine
•Lasers in communications
•Lasers in industries
•Lasers in science and technology
•Lasers in military

Lasers in Medicine
[Link] are used for bloodless surgery.
[Link] are used to destroy kidney stones.
[Link] are used in cancer diagnosis and therapy.
[Link] are used for eye lens curvature corrections.
[Link] are used in fiber-optic endoscope to detect ulcers in the intestines.
[Link] liver and lung diseases could be treated by using lasers.
[Link] are used to study the internal structure of microorganisms and cells.
[Link] are used to produce chemical reactions.
[Link] are used to create plasma.
[Link] are used to remove tumors successfully.
[Link] are used to remove the caries or decayed portion of the teeth.
[Link] are used in cosmetic treatments such as acne treatment, cellulite and hair
removal. 9
Lasers in Communications
[Link] light is used in optical fiber communications to send
information over large distances with low loss.
[Link] light is used in underwater communication networks.
[Link] are used in space communication, radars and satellites.

Lasers in Industries
[Link] are used to cut glass and quartz.
[Link] are used in electronic industries for trimming the components
of Integrated Circuits (ICs).
[Link] are used for heat treatment in the automotive industry.
[Link] light is used to collect the information about the prefixed prices
of various products in shops and business establishments from the bar
code printed on the product.
[Link] lasers are used in the semiconductor industries for
photolithography. Photolithography is the method used for
manufacturing printed circuit board (PCB) and microprocessor by using
ultraviolet light.
[Link] are used to drill aerosol nozzles and control orifices within the
required precision.
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Lasers in Science and Technology
1.A laser helps in studying the Brownian motion of particles.
[Link] the help of a helium-neon laser, it was proved that the velocity of light is same in all
directions.
[Link] the help of a laser, it is possible to count the number of atoms in a substance.
[Link] are used in computers to retrieve stored information from a Compact Disc (CD).
[Link] are used to store large amount of information or data in CD-ROM.
[Link] are used to measure the pollutant gases and other contaminants of the atmosphere.
[Link] helps in determining the rate of rotation of the earth accurately.
[Link] are used in computer printers.
[Link] are used for producing three-dimensional pictures in space without the use of lens.
[Link] are used for detecting earthquakes and underwater nuclear blasts.
11.A gallium arsenide diode laser can be used to setup an invisible fence to protect an area.

Lasers in Military
[Link] range finders are used to determine the distance to an object.
[Link] ring laser gyroscope is used for sensing and measuring very small angle of rotation of the moving
objects.
[Link] can be used as a secretive illuminators for reconnaissance during night with high precision.
[Link] are used to dispose the energy of a warhead by damaging the missile.
[Link] light is used in LIDAR’s to accurately measure the distance to an object.

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