Overview

ABOUT THE COURSE:The invention of the laser in 1960 was a major breakthrough that has had a profound impact on science and our everyday lives, from medicine to manufacturing to defence to telecommunications. To stay up-to-date with this rapidly evolving field, we propose a 30-lecture series on lasers for both undergraduate, postgraduate and research students. The course will begin with an introduction to the basics of lasers, and then build on this foundation to discuss the major developments in laser technology over the years. This standalone course will take an intuitive approach instead of the more common mathematical approach, making it accessible to students with an inquisitive mind and a high school level physics back ground in addition to researchers who make use of lasers in their day-to-day work. By the end of the course, students will have a solid understanding of what a laser is, how it works, and what makes the light it creates so special. They will also be able to apply their knowledge to solve problems and design new laser systems.INTENDED AUDIENCE: This course is designed for undergraduate and postgraduate students in the fields of science and various engineering disciplines, along with research studentsPREREQUISITES: High School physics. This laser lecture series stands as an independent course, ensuring that unfamiliar concepts are elucidated at an introductory levelINDUSTRY SUPPORT: This course will attract a diverse audience, including academic institutions, hospitals, industries, and defence organizations. Laser applications span various sectors such as medicine, numerous industries, scientific research, and defence, making it widely relevant.

Syllabus

Week 1: General Introduction: Laser at a Glance, Operation of a Conventional Source of Light, Spontaneous Emission, Stimulated Emission, Possibility of unidirectional emission, Exploitation of Stimulated Emission to Amplify Light, Population Inversion and Amplification of Light, The Concept of a Cavity, Amplifier to Laser, The Story of Laser Invention, Spectral Narrowing- the Signature of Amplification of Light by Stimulated Emission of RadiationWeek 2:General Introduction: Laser at a Glance, Operation of a Conventional Source of Light, Spontaneous Emission, Stimulated Emission, Possibility of unidirectional emission, Exploitation of Stimulated Emission to Amplify Light, Population Inversion and Amplification of Light, The Concept of a Cavity, Amplifier to Laser, The Story of Laser Invention, Spectral Narrowing- the Signature of Amplification of Light by Stimulated Emission of Radiation(Contd,..)Week 3:CW and Pulsed Lasers: Continuous Operation and its Limitations, Pulsing the Lasers: A Possible Remedy, Continuous and Pulsed Pumping of a Laser: Optical Pumping, Electrical Pumping: cw Lasers-Pulsed laser, Operating Efficiency of cw and Pulsed LasersWeek 4:Different Types of Lasers: Gas Lasers, Atomic Gas Lasers, Ion lasers, Liquid lasers, Dye Lasers, Solid State Laser, Nd-YAG/glass laser, Lamp Pumping, Diode Pumping, End Pumping, Side Pumping, Titanium Sapphire Lasers,Week 5:Different Types of Lasers: Gas Lasers, Atomic Gas Lasers, Ion lasers, Liquid lasers, Dye Lasers, Solid State Laser, Nd-YAG/glass laser, Lamp Pumping, Diode Pumping, End Pumping, Side Pumping, Titanium Sapphire Lasers,(Contd,..)Week 6:Molecular gas lasers: Introduction, Basics of Molecular Spectroscopy, Vibration-Rotation Spectra,Week 7:Carbon dioxide Lasers, Energy Level Representation of the Operation of a CO2 Laser, Low Pressure CO2 Lasers, Longitudinal Pumping and cw Operation, High Pressure CO2 Lasers- Transverse Pumping and Pulsed Operation, Spectral Features of CO2 Laser Emission, SLM Emission from a Hybrid CO2 Laser, Tunable Emission from a CO2 Laser, Prism and a Grating as Dispersive Elements, A Blazed Grating Tuned Operation of a CO2 Laser , Molecular Lasers Pumped by CO2Lasers, Multi-atmosphere Operation and Continuously Tunable CO2 lasers.Week 8:Carbon dioxide Lasers, Energy Level Representation of the Operation of a CO2 Laser, Low Pressure CO2 Lasers, Longitudinal Pumping and cw Operation, High Pressure CO2 Lasers- Transverse Pumping and Pulsed Operation, Spectral Features of CO2 Laser Emission, SLM Emission from a Hybrid CO2 Laser, Tunable Emission from a CO2 Laser, Prism and a Grating as Dispersive Elements, A Blazed Grating Tuned Operation of a CO2 Laser , Molecular Lasers Pumped by CO2Lasers, Multi-atmosphere Operation and Continuously Tunable CO2 lasers.(Contd,..)Week 9: Semiconductor lasers: Introduction, Basics of Semiconductor Physics, Impurity Semiconductors, n-type and p-type Semiconductors, Semiconductor Diodes, Light Emitting Diodes, Diode Lasers, Quantum Well Lasers, Quantum Cascade Lasers, Edge and Surface Emitting Diode Lasers, Laser Diode Arrays:Week 10: Semiconductor lasers: Introduction, Basics of Semiconductor Physics, Impurity Semiconductors, n-type and p-type Semiconductors, Semiconductor Diodes, Light Emitting Diodes, Diode Lasers, Quantum Well Lasers, Quantum Cascade Lasers, Edge and Surface Emitting Diode Lasers, Laser Diode Arrays:(Contd,..)Week 11:Excimer lasers, Free Electron Lasers, Chemical lasers, Hydrogen Fluoride lasers, Chemical Oxygen Iodine Lasers, Fiber Lasers, Fiber Amplifiers, Gas Dynamic Lasers,Week 12:Excimer lasers, Free Electron Lasers, Chemical lasers, Hydrogen Fluoride lasers, Chemical Oxygen Iodine Lasers, Fiber Lasers, Fiber Amplifiers, Gas Dynamic Lasers,(Contd,..)