LASERS
Anthony E. Siegman
Professor of Electrical Engineering
Stanford University
University Science Books
Sausalito, California
University Science Books
55D Gate Five Road
Sausalito, CA 94965
Manuscript Editor: Aidan Kelly
Designer: Robert Ishi
Production: Miller/Scheier Associates, Palo Alto, CA
TgXpert: Laura Poplin
Printer and Binder: The Maple-Vail Book Manufacturing Group
Copyright © 1986 by University Science Books
Reproduction or translation of any part of this work
beyond that permitted by Sections 107 or 108 of the
1976 United States Copyright Act without the permission of
the copyright owner is unlawful. Requests for permission
or further information should be addressed to
the Permissions Department, University Science Books.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 86-050346
ISBN 0-935702-11-3
Printed in the United States of America
This manuscript was prepared at Stanford University using the text
editing facilities of the Context and Sierra DEC-20 computers and
Professor Donald Knuth's TgX typesetting system. Camera-ready
copy was printed on an Autologic APS-/i5 phototypesetter.
10 9 8 7
LASERS
LASERS
Anthony E. Siegman
Professor of Electrical Engineering
Stanford University
University Science Books
Sausalito, California
University Science Books
55D Gate Five Road
Sausalito, CA 94965
Manuscript Editor: Aidan Kelly
Designer: Robert Ishi
Production: Miller/Scheier Associates, Palo Alto, CA
TgXpert: Laura Poplin
Printer and Binder: The Maple-Vail Book Manufacturing Group
Copyright © 1986 by University Science Books
Reproduction or translation of any part of this work
beyond that permitted by Sections 107 or 108 of the
1976 United States Copyright Act without the permission of
the copyright owner is unlawful. Requests for permission
or further information should be addressed to
the Permissions Department, University Science Books.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 86-050346
ISBN 0-935702-11-3
Printed in the United States of America
This manuscript was prepared at Stanford University using the text
editing facilities of the Context and Sierra DEC-20 computers and
Professor Donald Knuth's TgX typesetting system. Camera-ready
copy was printed on an Autologic APS-/i5 phototypesetter.
10 9 8 7
CONTENTS
xin
xv
xvii
Preface
Units and Notation
List of Symbols
BASIC LASER PHYSICS
1. An Introduction to Lasers 1
2. Stimulated Transitions: The Classical Oscillator Model 80
3. Electric Dipole Transitions in Real Atoms 118
4. Atomic Rate Equations 176
5. The Rabi Frequency 221
6. Laser Pumping and Population Inversion 243
7. Laser Amplification 264
8. More On Laser Amplification 307
9. Linear Pulse Propagation 331
10. Nonlinear Optical Pulse Propagation 362
11. Laser Mirrors and Regenerative Feedback 398
12. Fundamentals of Laser Oscillation 457
13. Oscillation Dynamics and Oscillation Threshold 491
OPTICAL BEAMS AND RESONATORS
14. Optical Beams and Resonators: An Introduction
15. Ray Optics and Ray Matrices
16. Wave Optics and Gaussian Beams
17. Physical Properties of Gaussian Beams
18. Beam Perturbation and Diffraction
19. Stable Two-Mirror Resonators
20. Complex Paraxial Wave Optics
21. Generalized Paraxial Resonator Theory
22. Unstable Optical Resonators
23. More on Unstable Resonators
LASER DYNAMICS AND ADVANCED TOPICS
24. Laser Dynamics: The Laser Cavity Equations
25. Laser Spiking and Mode Competition
26. Laser Q-Switching
27. Active Laser Mode Coupling
28. Passive Mode Locking
29. Laser Injection Locking
30. Hole Burning and Saturation Spectroscopy
31. Magnetic-Dipole Transitions
558
581
626
663
698
744
777
815
858
891
923
954
1004
1041
1104
1129
1171
1213
ate
LIST OF TOPICS
Preface xiii
Units and Notation xv
List of Symbols xvii
BASIC LASER PHYSICS
Chapter 1 An Introduction to Lasers
1.1 What Is a Laser? 2
1.2 Atomic Energy Levels and Spontaneous Emission 6
1.3 Stimulated Atomic Transitions 18
1.4 Laser Amplification 30
1.5 Laser Pumping and Population Inversion 35
1.6 Laser Oscillation and Laser Cavity Modes 39
1.7 Laser Output-Beam Properties 49
1.8 A Few Practical Examples 60
1.9 Other Properties of Real Lasers 66
1.10 Historical Background of the Laser 74
1.11 Additional Problems for Chapter 1 76
Chapter 2 Stimulated Transitions: The Classical Oscillator Model
2.1 The Classical Electron Oscillator 80
2.2 Collisions and Dephasing Processes 89
2.3 More on Atomic Dynamics and Dephasing 97
2.4 Steady-State Response: The Atomic Susceptibility 102
2.5 Conversion to Real Atomic Transitions 110
Chapter 3 Electric Dipole Transitions in Real Atoms
3.1 Decay Rates and Transition Strengths in Real Atoms 118
3.2 Line Broadening Mechanisms in Real Atoms 126
3.3 Polarization Properties of Atomic Transitions 135
3.4 Tensor Susceptibilities 143
3.5 The "Factor of Three" 150
3.6 Degenerate Energy Levels and Degeneracy Factors 153
3.7 Inhomogeneous Line Broadening 157
Chapter 4 Atomic Rate Equations
4.1 Power Transfer From Signals to Atoms 176