Lasers
Objectives
Aiming at the global aspects of lasers (principally solid-state lasers), lasers curricular unit will focus on the most important laser design concepts so that the students can understand and apply laser fundamentals to both their numerical analyses and solar-pumped solid-state laser experiments in laboratory session. Through intensive ZEMAX and AUTOCAD computational simulation trainings on their own solar laser projects, students are expected to gain up-to-date laser knowledge and essential laser design skills. Lasers curricular unit will enhance the interests of students on laser engineering by stressing the importance of innovation for successful engineering students.
General characterization
Code
10531
Credits
3.0
Responsible teacher
Dawei Liang
Hours
Weekly - 3
Total - 42
Teaching language
Português
Prerequisites
Applied Optics
Bibliography
1. Solid-State Laser Engineering
Sixth Revised and Updated Edition, Walter Koechner
http://www.springer.com/us/book/9780387290942
2. Related Publications on Solar-Pumped Lasers, also uploaded on CLIP
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dawei_Liang
Teaching method
Lecture 1h + Laboratory Session 2h
Evaluation method
70% Project of computational simulation about lasers(ZEMAX, LASCAD and AUTOCAD) + 10% Knowledge Test + 20% Lab. Sections and Reports Evaluations.
Subject matter
Brief introduction to laser history, laser types and laser applications. Basic laser principles like absorption, population inversion, laser oscillators, resonant cavity stability criteria, laser active media, laser efficiencies and laser output powers will be discussed in the lecture sessions. Many homemade solid-sate laser pump cavities will all be demonstrated during laboratory sessions. Brief introductions to lamp-pumped, diode-pumped, fiber laser and thin-disk lasers will permit an enhanced knowledge about solid-state lasers. Intensive trainings of ZEMAX and LASCAD software, also a brief introduction to AutoCAD software, during the semester will provide very useful link to student´s future research and employment opportunities. Student are encouraged to initiate early their own novel laser design project by learning basic laser principles, ZEMAX and LASCAD software and participating laboratory sessions actively. Students’ optimized solar laser design by both ZEMAX and LASCAD will be finally evaluated with emphases on stimulating student´s creative thinking skills by teacher during the whole numerical optimization process. Since ZEMAX software training runs through the whole semester, 50% is attributed to student´s ZEMAX solar laser projectin final score. The laboratory session (20%)with solar-pumped laser experiments along with laser beam profile diagnostics will deepen considerably the student´s knowledge about laser engineering. Laser knowledge test (30%)will cover all knowledge learnt during both lecture and laboratory sessions.