LASER and Optical Fiber

CONTENTS
• Interactions of radiations with matter
• Characteristics of laser
• Conditions for Laser
• Principle of optical fibers
• Numerical aperture and acceptance angle (Qualitative)
• Applications: Point to point communication with block diagram
 LASERS
• LASER is the acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of
Radiation.
• Laser is a device that produces a highly intense, strictly monochromatic and
coherent beam of light with very little divergence.
• The laser is the aftermath of MASER (Microwave Amplification by Stimulated
Emission of Radiation), which is a device that amplifies microwaves.

History behind the Development of Laser:

• 1916, Einstein predicted the stimulated emission.

• 1954, Townes and co-workers developed a Microwave Amplifier by
Stimulated Emission of Radiation (maser) using ammonia, NH3.
• 1958, Schawlow and Townes showed that the maser principle could be
extended into the visible region .
• 1960, Maiman built the first laser using ruby as the active medium.
• From then on, laser development was nothing short of miraculous, giving
optics new impetus and wide publicity
 Interaction of radiation with matter

The working principle of laser is based on the phenomenon of interaction of

radiation with matter.

Whenever radiation interacts with matter there are 2 processes

• Absorption
• Emission
 Induced Absorption:

When radiation is incident on an atom, which is in its ground state of energy

E1, it can absorb a photon of energy hν and get raised to an excited state of
energy E2, provided hν = E2 – E1. This process is called induced or stimulated
absorption.

It can be represented as

Atom + Photon Atom *

A + hv A*, where A* is an excited atom.
Spontaneous Emission:

An atom in the excited state, of energy E2, makes a transition to the ground
state, of energy E1, on its own within a fraction of a second, typically 10 – 9 s,
resulting in the emission of radiation of energy E2 – E1. This is known as
spontaneous emission

It can be represented as
Atom* ➔ Atom + Photon
A* ➔ A + hv
 Stimulated Emission:

• The phenomenon of forced photon emission by an excited atom due to the

action of an external agency is called stimulated/induced emission.
• An atom in the excited state, of energy E2, makes a transition to the lower
state, of energy E1, due to the interaction of photon of energy hν = E2 – E1
• The photon induces the excited atom to make the downward transition.
• Both the emitted photon and incident (stimulating) photon have the same
frequency and energy and they will travel in the same direction.

It can be represented as
Atom* + Photon ➔ Atom + 2 Photon
A* ➔ A +2 hv
A Recap of Three Processes
 Conditions for laser
1. Population inversion
When a material is in thermal equilibrium condition, the population ratio is governed
by the Boltzmann factor according to the following equation

• It gives that the population N2 at the excited state E2 will be smaller than the
population N1 at the level E1.
• The condition in which there are more atoms in the lower energy level and
relatively lesser number of atoms in the higher energy level is called the
normal/equilibrium state.
• Population inversion is the condition of the material in which population of
the upper energy level N2>>N1.
• In this condition the population distribution between the levels E1 and E2 is
inverted and hence it is known as inverted state. This is a non-equilibrium state
and exists only for a short time.
• Population inversion is obtained by employing pumping techniques, which
transfer large number of atoms from lower energy level to higher energy
level.
 2. Metastable states

• When an atom absorbs energy it moves to an excited state.

• Normally the atoms exist in the excited state for about10-8 second and then
returns to its lower energy state.
• But if the electron is excited to or eventually reaches a metastable state, then the
atoms stay there for longer duration of time (10-3 to 10-2 sec).

• This property helps to achieve population inversion.

Characteristic properties of a laser beam
The important characteristics of a laser beam are,
1. Monochromaticity,
2. Directionality,
3. Coherence,
4. Intensity,

• Monochromaticity
– A light having single wavelength is called monochromatic source
– Bandwidth ( the range of frequencies) is very narrow in LASER compared to
conventional light source.
• Directionality
– Laser light is usually low in divergence.
– Laser light can be focused to extremely small dimensions.
• Coherence
– When two waves are in phase with each other, they are said to be coherent.
– All the emitted photons in LASER bear a constant phase relationship with each
other in both time and phase.
• High Intensity
- Light possesses high intensity (power per unit area).
Differentiate LASER and CONVENTIONAL light Source

LASER CONVENTIONAL
LIGHT
COHERENT INCOHERENT

HIGHLY DIRECTIONAL MORE DIVERGENCE

MONOCHROMATIC NOT MONOCHROMATIC

HIGH INTENSITY LOW INTENSITY

Numericals

1. Find the population of the two states in an diode Laser that produces a
light of wavelength 6500 Å at 30°C.
𝑁2
= 𝑒 − 𝐸2−𝐸1 Τ𝑘𝐵𝑇 = 𝑒 −ℎυΤ𝑘𝐵𝑇
𝑁1

= 1.6x10-32
2. The ratio of population of two energy levels is 1.059 x 10-30. Find the wavelength
of light emitted at 330K.

𝑁2 𝐸2 −𝐸1 Τ𝑘𝐵 𝑇
= 𝑒− = 𝑒 −ℎ𝑐Τλ𝑘𝐵𝑇
𝑁1
𝑁2 ℎ𝑐
𝑙𝑛 =−
𝑁1 λ𝑘𝐵 𝑇

λ= 632nm
3. The ratio of population of two energy levels is 1.059 x 10-30. The wavelength of
light emitted at 638nm. Calculate the temperature of the system.

𝑁2 𝐸2 −𝐸1 Τ𝑘𝐵 𝑇
= 𝑒− = 𝑒 −ℎ𝑐Τλ𝑘𝐵𝑇
𝑁1
𝑁2 ℎ𝑐
𝑙𝑛 =−
𝑁1 λ𝑘𝐵 𝑇

T=327.11K
Optical Fiber
 Optical fibres
• Optical fibres are transparent fibres through which light signals carrying
some information are transmitted.
• They consist of a central core of a transparent material of refractive index n1
surrounded by another transparent material, called cladding, of refractive
index n2, such that n1 > n2.
• Light is introduced into the fibre in such a way that it undergoes multiple
total internal reflections, due to which the signal travels long distances
without significant loss of energy
Air
Coating

Cladding

Core

~6-10 m
125 m
~250 m
 Principle of Propagation: Total Internal Reflection

• Propagation of light through a fibre is made possible by total internal

reflection.
• When a ray of light enters from one medium to another, it is partly refracted
and partly reflected.
• If the ray passes from a denser medium to a rarer medium, due to refraction,
the ray in the rarer medium will be bend away from the normal, as in fig. (1).
• If the angle of incidence is increased, for a particular angle called the critical
angle C the ray in the rarer medium will graze the surface of separation of
the two media, as can be seen in fig (2).
• Now, by Snell’s law, n1 Sin C = n2 Sin 90,
• or C = Sin– 1 (n2/n1).
• If the angle of incidence is further increased, the ray will be totally reflected
into the denser medium (fig 3).
• This phenomenon is called total internal reflection.
• When this happens in an optical fibre, the ray will undergo multiple
reflections inside the core of the fibre and gets transmitted along the fibre.
 Numerical Aperture and Acceptance angle
• Numerical Aperture: It is defined as the light gathering capability of an
optical fiber which gives the quantity of light brought into the optical fiber.

• Acceptance angle: It is defined as the maximum angle below which a ray of

light can enter through one end of the fiber and get totally internally
reflected inside the core of the fiber.
θa = sin-1( n 2 − n 2 )
1 2
• Block diagram of an optical fibre communication system is shown
below.
• The non-electrical signal such as sound, to be communicated over
a long distance, is first converted into an electrical signal using a
transducer (say, microphone).
• The electrical signal is then amplified using electronic amplifiers
and modulated with a high frequency electrical signal.
• The modulated signal is then fed to a laser diode, which converts
the signal into corresponding optical signal.
• The light signal is transmitted through an optic fibre.
• At the receiver, the light signal is fed to a photo-detector, which
converts it into electrical signal.
• This is amplified, demodulated and then fed to a transducer (say, loud
speaker) which concerts the electrical signal back to the original sound
signal.
• If it is transfer of digital data from one computer to another, then there
is no need for the transducer, as the input and output signals are both
electrical.
 Advantages of optical fiber communication

➢ The optical fiber transmission is noise-free.

➢ As optical fibers make use of light as the medium to transmit signals, it is found to be
one of the fastest mode of communication.

➢ One of the biggest advantage of optical fibers is high bandwidth.

➢ Optical fibers are used more easily than copper cables because they are of small
diameter and light weight.

➢ The light signals conducted in optical fibers are harmless, but in copper cables,
electricity is conducted which is dangerous sometimes.

➢ The cross-talk becomes negligible in optical fibers.

➢ Optical fibers have longer life than copper cables.

➢ Optical fibers are difficult to tap. As they do not radiate electromagnetic energy,
emissions cannot be intercepted.
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3. Calculate the numerical aperture, and acceptance angle in an optical fibre.
Refractive indices of core and cladding are respectively 1.41 and 1.4.
Wavelength of laser used is 820 n m.

= 9.640

C = Sin– 1 (n2/n1) = 83.170