PHYS3710: LASERS AND APPLICATIONS
Preamble:
2010 marked the 50th anniversary of the demonstration of the first laser. What was once described as “a solution looking for a problem” is now a key technology in many industrial, commercial and scientific applications. But what exactly is a laser, how does it work, and why has it been so instrumental in advances in so many areas of science and technology? In this course we unlock the mysteries of the laser: from the fundamental physics behind it to the light characteristics that make it so useful.
Lecture Times / Locations:
| |
Time |
Location |
Weeks |
| Lecture 1 |
Monday 10:00 - 11:00 |
RM151, Old Main Building |
1-5, 7-13 |
| Lecture 2 |
Wednesday 12:00 - 13:00 |
RC Theatre |
1-5, 7-13 |
Course Notes:
Course notes are to appear here:
Assessment PHYS3710:
| |
Date Set: |
Date Due: |
% of Total Mark 3710: |
| Mid Session Test: |
12 pm - 1pm Wednesday 24 April (Week 7) |
- |
35% |
| Assignment 1: |
12 pm Wednesday 27 March (Week 4) |
12 pm Wednesday 10 April (Week 5) |
10% |
| Assignment 2: |
10am Monday 6 May (Week 9) |
4pm Monday 27 May (Week 12) |
15% |
| Final Exam: |
TBA |
- |
40% |
Recommended Texts:
Laser Fundamentals, 2nd Edition, W. T. Silfvast, ISBN: 978-0-521-54105-3
Course Outline:
| |
Topics Covered |
| Week 1 |
Introduces you to the history of lasers and discusses the blackbody problem.
|
| Week 2 |
we shall discuss spontaneous and stimulated emission, define the “Einstein coefficients”, and talk about various types of linewidth broadening mechanisms. |
| Week 3 |
deals with the gain coefficient in atomic systems. We’ll derive a number of equations, called the “rate equations” that will allow us to calculate the population differences under various conditions. We shall discuss how to make an optical amplifier. |
| Week 4 |
discusses what happens if we provide feedback to an optical amplifier. To understand this topic, we shall review optical cavities of various types, and talk about stable and unstable cavities. |
| Week 5 |
reviews the properties of lasers, such as the effective gain coefficient, threshold gain coefficient, the photon lifetime, the beam parameters, etc. |
| Week 6 |
READING WEEK |
| Week 7 |
MIDSESSION EXAM! deals with the factors that determine the spectral purity of lasers, and review various theoretical and practical methods to achieve the required monochromaticity. |
| Week 8 |
deals with pulsed lasers. First we review why some lasers produce pulsed output, followed by various methods to achieve short and powerful pulses. |
| Week 9 |
deal with semiconductor physics as a prelude to the diode laser. We shall discuss in some detail the properties of semiconductor materials and junctions. |
| Week 10 |
gets into the details of various types of diode lasers. |
| Week 11 |
describes a number of specific lasers, such as gas lasers, solid state lasers, fibre lasers, etc. |
| Week 12 |
discusses nonlinear optics in the context of laser systems, including basic nonlinear processes made possible using lasers, and how they are used in frequency conversion, optical parametric amplifiers (OPAs). |
| Week 13 |
Applications of lasers. |
Contact Information:
Dr Peter Reece
School of Physics
University of New South Wales
Kensington NSW 2052
Room 121 (office) / LG45 (lab)
Old Main Building (K15)
Kensington Campus
Ph: (02) 9385 4998
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