Basics and characteristics of lasers, typical applications.
Content
Basics of lasers: spontaneous and stimulated emission, coherence, two-level systems, rate equations, threshold condition, pump mechanisms. Resonators: stability criteria, losses, modes, transversal and longitudinal mode selection. Q-switch operation, generation of ultrashort pulses in the ps and subps-regime. Discussion of some important laser types of the categories of gas lasers, dye lasers, semiconductor lasers, and solid state lasers (incl. tunable solid state lasers). Laser safety. Discussion of some typical laser applications such as lasers in material processing environmental sensing, medicine, etc
Lecture notes
Basis is the book "Laser" (in german, see Literature) plus handouts
Literature
Textbook "Laser" by F. K. Kneubühl und M. W. Sigrist, Vieweg+Teubner/GWV Fachverlage GmbH, Wiesbaden, 7. überarbeitete und erweiterte Auflage 2008 (ISBN 978-3-8351-0145-6)
Prerequisites / Notice
Prerequisites: Basic Physics courses.
Based on the students' requests this lecture could also be given in German
Performance assessment
Performance assessment information (valid until the course unit is held again)