Laser Physics

Overview

Basic laser physics: Population inversion and laser materials, gain in a laser system, saturation, transform limit, diffraction limit

Short pulse oscillators: Cavities, Q-switching, cavity modes, mode locking

Amplification: Beam transport considerations (B-Integral), chirped pulse amplification, stretcher and compressor design, white light generation, optical parametric chirped pulse amplification.

Different types of lasers: Fiber lasers, laser diodes, Dye lasers, high performance national and international laser facilities

Applications of state of the art lasers: Intense laser-matter interactions, high harmonic generation : perturbed atoms to relativistic plasmas, generation of shortest pulses of electromagnetic radiation

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the basics of modern laser systems, and how the unique properties of the high power lasers and recent technological advances are opening up new research fields including next generation particle and light sources.

Correlate the fundamental parameters of specific lasers or laser facilities to potential applications or research projects.

Review published material on topics of high intensity laser-plasma interactions

Skills

Problem solving. Searching for and evaluating information from a range of sources. Written and oral communication of scientific concepts in a clear and concise manner. Working independently or as part of a group and meeting deadlines.

Assessment

NONE