The laser

This article is intended as a review of the field of optical masers, or lasers as they have come to be known, summarizing both theory and practice. It starts with a theoretical section in which black body radiation theory is used to introduce the concepts of spontaneous and induced transitions. This...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inProceedings of the IEEE Vol. 51; no. 1; pp. 4 - 29
Main Authors Yariv, A., Gordon, J.P.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published IEEE 01.01.1963
Subjects
Laser noise
Laser theory
Laser transitions
Masers
Microwave communication
Optical noise
Optical pumping
Optical resonators
Power generation
Pump lasers
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Summary:This article is intended as a review of the field of optical masers, or lasers as they have come to be known, summarizing both theory and practice. It starts with a theoretical section in which black body radiation theory is used to introduce the concepts of spontaneous and induced transitions. This is followed by the derivation of the Schawlow-Townes instability (start-oscillation) condition and a description of the different laser media. Other topics treated include: optical pumping, experimental techniques, output power and noise. The sections on optical resonators and communications which conclude the paper have been slightly emphasized since, perhaps to a larger extent than the other topics covered in this paper, they coincide with traditional areas of interest of microwave and communications engineers.
ISSN:0018-9219
1558-2256
DOI:10.1109/PROC.1963.1654